Agena
by JErosion
Summary: Under the ever watchful eye of Professor Dumbledore. The Last Heir of Slytherin walks the halls of Hogwarts. Now, with his guilding hand he hopes to correct a mistake he made nearly half a century before, with the girl's father. Chapter 14 up.
1. Prologue

**Agena**

**JErosion**

* * *

**Prologue (revise)**

She really wished Ted was home. But it had already been a year, and with things being what they were, she had come to except the fact that he wasn't coming home. Sometimes she wondered how many other witches and wizards still waited for loved ones that will never return. She had no illusions of what had happened. After all, he was a muggle-born. And he was everything that they hated most.

That all changed a month ago. It was on the cover of every newspaper, and on the lips of every wizard and witch in the country. After eleven hard years, the most feared wizard in recent memory, was gone. And the extraordinary thing was that he had been defeated by a child. But as extraordinary as that was, the world could not change over night. Times were still dangerous. Trials were still being held in the Ministry Dungeons. And nobody knew just how many of his followers still walked unnoticed and free.

So it was with great hesitance that she approached the front door of her home. Even with You-know-who's disappearance, she still felt cautions. Yet she also had to weigh in the facts that if the person or persons who had knocked on her door at this hour in the morning had malicious intentions, the wooded barrier would have done little to bar their entrance. And she wasn't willing to die without putting up a fight. be taken off guard. She made a quick check of herself in a mirror that was in the foyer. This wasn't out of vanity, but she just wanted to make sure she looking presentable. After all a few moments ago she was sleeping in her bed. Besides if some dark wizard was looking to end your life you may as well look your best. With little else to do, she held her wand out and moved to open the door.

It took a moment for her eye's to adjust to the early morning darkness. light. She was surprised to say the least. Out on her stoop, stood a familiar figure. Although his hair was far more silvery than she remembered, but there was no mistaking those blue eyes or that long crooked nose.

"Professor?"

"It is always nice to know, that no matter how long ago they graduated, my former students still see me as their teacher." he said with a smile. However playful his statement was, the woman before him could tell something was wrong, as the warmth of his expression did not fully reach his eyes.

"um, Sir? Is there something wrong?"

"Indeed, there is Andromeda. I'm afraid I've come bearing terrible news. Although it may be for the best if I do not speak them while I stand at your doorstep."

"oh,... Please Professor come in." She stepped to side opening the door wider to allow her new guest to enter her home. He gave her a gentle nod as she past him, however she quickly discovered that he had not come alone. Standing behind him and looking extremely reluctant, was a rather pitiful looking house-elf. But the thing that really caught her attention wasn't so much the presence of the elf, but rather the carefully wrapped bundle in the the elf's arms. It's was a baby.

"Come along, Feezy."

"n-No, n-No Feezy mustn't, my m-mistress would be angry with Feezy if she n-knew." Yet despite the shaky words coming out of her mouth, the she shuffled forward, holding the child very close to her.

"Feezy!" Andromeda cried, closing the door shut. No it couldn't be. She dropped down to her knees to take a better look at the elf and the bundle she carried. Despite it's gaunt appearance, she began to see that it was indeed the elf she once knew from her childhood. Her snout like nose and huge bat like ears where common traits of the elves from the House of Black. However it seemed that the years had not been kind to the lthat had not been kind to her. She was missing a good chunk of her left ear, and she had numerous scars running along her face and arms. "Professor Dumbledore!? If this is Feezy, then this child.. it couldn't be! "

"Yes, Andromeda." He nodded grimly.

"What happened to her!.. What did she do!"

Before her eyes, the man in front of her seemed to age a few more years.

"It will be on the front page of the _Daily Prophet_ when it's delivered. But you may as well know before hand. It was the Longbottoms..."

Her hand came up to her face in horror.

"n-No, n-No my m-mistress wouldn't do anything bad." Feezy wailed.

"From her rantings, your sister refused to believe that her master could have been vanquished by a child, so she led a small group of Death Eaters to the Longbottom's home. She believed that they may have had information on _his_ whereabouts."

"But why Professor?! Why? It's all over now, isn't it?"

"Yes, for now I believe the wizarding world is safe. But I cannot say for certain that Voldemort is truly gone.

Andromeda shuddered slightly at the mention of the dark wizard's name. It's was horrible that such a thing could happen. Why? Why would she do something like that? Her eyes drifted to the baby that Feezy still held. Slowly she reached for the child, gesturing to the house elf to let take the child. At first the Feezy took a step back from her, but slowly she relented, allowing her mistress's sister to take her burden. Wrapped in a dark gray-green blanket the baby stirred for a moment before settling into the arms of Andromeda. Judging the lines of it's face the child was a girl, and from her size and weight she would have to say that she was around a year old. She smiled slightly, brushing aside some to the girl's dark hair away from her face. She was beautify. Then again all of the Black women were.

"Tell me Dumbledore, did they kill them?" She asked quietly, not taking her eye's off of the infant's face.

There was a long silence before he spoke.

"No. The Longbottoms are still alive, but I fear that their injuries may extent far beyond the physical, it's still too early to tell."

"They... Didn't they have a son?"

"Yes, they did. Fortunately you sister and her followers did nothing to him. He is in the care of his grandmother right now, if I'm not mistaken."

"When did you find her?" Andromeda asked, nodding to child.

"It was late last night. After Aurors captured your sister and her accomplices, a raid was conducted on the Lestrange Manor. We found her as well as Feezy."

"You know...," she said after a long pause, " I had no idea that they had a child, I know our relationship had become damaged because of my choices. But even with distance between us I still still sent word to her and Narcissa when Nymphadora had been born, and Narcissa owled me about her son. I thought she would tell me if she had a child."

"I must admit that I am a little curious about that myself" a spark of curiosity touched his voice.

"What do you mean.?" Andromeda asked looking up from the child.

"When I asked Feezy what her name was, she became quite adamant that she must not tell anyone. Now I could have _taken _the information from her, but I thought it would be best if I brought both of them to you. Feezy of coarse was reluctant to come with me, she does recognizes that she can not care for the child by herself. And since the standings of Narcissa's family are still in question, not to mention my doubts of her willingness to assist me. I felt it would be best to bring them both to you."

They both turned to the elf, who was cowering and shaking her head.

"No. No. Please don't ask Feezy. It must remain quiet. It can't be spoken."

"What must be a secret?"

Feezy continued to shake her head. She even brought her hands up to her face as though she was trying to hide.

"Feezy."

"No. No. I mustn't tell mistress's secrets... I mustn't. No one is to know. She would be so angry with Feezy."

Andromeda looked up to the professor and then back to the elf.

"You must tell me Feezy. What is this child's name?"

The elf's hand balled up into a little fist, like she made to hit herself. But she couldn't not stay quiet, as the enchantments that bound their race would not allow her to be.

"a-Agena Druella Riddle."

It took her a moment to digest the names. She thought of the names scratched onto the old star charts she studied while in school. And Druella, that had been the name of their mother. But Riddle? It should be Lestrange, not Riddle. But that surname, did have some resonance, something half remembered. However she was unable to place where she had last heard or seen it. She looked to Dumbledore for answers but that a very serious look had taken his features.

"Tell me, Feezy," he asked bending low in order to catch the elf's eyes. "Is your mistress, Bellatrix, the mother of this child?"

Large tears began to well up in the elf's eyes. She looked to Andromeda, perhaps hoping that she would not be given permission to divulge the information that the tall wizard was seeking. Slowly and painfully she confirmed his question by nodding.

"And was her husband, Rodolphus Lestrange, the father of this child?"

He received his answer when she started to use her tiny fist to punch herself in the temple. Andromeda brought this to a halt when he reached over and placed a hand to still her self-administered punishments. Even then she fell to her knees and began to sob quietly.

"hmm. How interesting." he stated in a curious tone, as he straightened himself out. "I would have never have thought..."

"Professor?"

"It seems as though your sister has had an affair."

Andromeda had to confess that she was now somewhat confused. How could this had happened? She was sure Bellatrix loved her husband. Being from a old pure-blood families, things like this were not suppose to happen. Yet if it was true then, she wasn't holding Rodolphus's daughter. It should be his child. Yet she couldn't help but feel is though she was missing something. Something that had everything to do with the name Riddle.

"Professor who is Riddle?"

He answered her question with another of his own. And to be honest she wasn't expecting the request he made of her.

"Andromeda. I need to know if you would be willing to take her in."

In truth she didn't even give it a second thought. No matter what she had done Bellatrix was still her sister. And this child was family. And maybe if she was raised away from her and her other relatives some good may come of it. It was a same measure but maybe it might put to and end to some of the _troubles_ that had plagued her family for centuries.

"Yes, I'll do it."

A look of relief crossed his features. But she still didn't understand.

"Andromeda. Listen carefully. If what I am starting to suspect is true then this girl won't be like most witches. She will have talents and abilities far advance for her age. So I ask you to raise her well. Because if her father is Tom Riddle, then she may very well be the last living descendant of Salazar Slytherin."

"_What!?_", Andromeda cried. "How can that be!? How could you possibly know such a thing!?"

"Please Andromeda." he said quietly, raising his hands to calm her. "I know this because, I have been fighting her father for over a decade."

What color was in her face drained away. She looked to the sleeping child in her arms. How could it be? She wanted argue. It was something she couldn't except. Was this child truly the product of her sister and _He-who-must-not-be-named_?

"Mama?"

Andromeda jumped at the distant voice. It seemed that at some point in their conversation, they had woken her daughter up.

Both adults turned to see the young Nymphadora Tonks, shuffle her way into the room. Her sleepy gaze shifted from her mother, to Dumbledore, to the still mopping Feezy, and then finally to the infant that her mother held. She brought a hand up and ran it though her blondish hair, which was currently sticking in every possible direction. Surprise filled her face as she looked at the new people that were in their house.

"What's going on?" the young girl asked, she took a couple of steps forward and then somehow managed to trip. This was rather odd since there was nothing in front of her to lose her footing on. Unfortunately the impact of her falling face first on the wooden floor was loud enough that Agena's eyes suddenly shot open and she instantly began to cry.

Andromeda winced, and then sighed. Her house was now filled with the sounds of a mumbling house elf, an upset infant and the cries of her own daughter, who was now sporting a bloody nose. She really wished Ted was here.

It took a good while to sort them all out. Feezy was the easiest, just give them a purpose or a task and house-elves couldn't be happier. And the simple task of preparing breakfast was more than enough to calm her. And Dumbledore was a great help with Nymphadora, a small wave of his wand and her nose bleed stopped. After a small twirl his wand emitted the yellowy light of a cheering charm over her. And her tears slowly came to a stop.

Her young niece took a little more effort. But once the other two had quieted down, she became more manageable. Maybe that was due to the features that she and Bellatrix, or the occasional appearances of Feezy. Slowly she calmed down, but she did not go to sleep.

Eventually things became settled enough that Andromeda was able to slip away leave Agena in the company of both the elf and her daughter.

"Professor?"

They were approaching her front door. As much as he would like to, he couldn't stay any longer. In fact he had already overstayed himself.

"...Is it true? What you said?"

"With what Feezy said, it is very possible. Are you sure that you will be able to handle her."

"Certainly," she nodded. "If I can handle Nymphadora's tendency to run headfirst into walls I'm sure I will be able handle the child of my sister...

"You know, Ted and I talked about having another child." she cast a fond look back towards the kitchen.

"Then treat as though she is yours and give her everything that her parents would not."

"What do you mean?"

"From my investigations, I have learned a good deal about the boy who would become Voldemort." He paused long enough to allow her to recover from her flinch of the dark wizard's name. "The circumstances of his birth are questionable. I do not know the full details myself but I do know enough to say that his father, who was a muggle, abandoned his mother while she was still pregnant. And his mother died shortly after giving birth to him. She only lived long enough to name him.

"Eventually he discovered the truth, that his father did not love his mother, nor did he even care at all for his yet to be born son. And his mother, heartbroken, did not have the will to live even for his sake. And by that she doomed him to spend his childhood in a muggle orphanage. There the other children feared and hated him. All he had ever known was a sense of abandonment, and that fueled a hatred within him that turned him into a monster.

"As for Agena's mother..." he trailed off not really needing to continue. Andromeda knew too well of her sister's faults. Bellatrix lacked compassion. Many purebloods did.

"I will do all I can professor."

She opened the door for him, but he paused before exiting.

"You won't mind if I stop by from time to time, to look in on her?"

"Not at all professor."

He gave her a one last smile and stepped out. A moment later he vanished from her sight without so much as a sound.

She had a new responsibility now. Certain things would have to change. Agena Druella Riddle. That was a place to start. In their world a name can mean everything. It could elevate a person to greatness or damn them for eternity. And people had long memories, and there will always be those who would blame the innocent for the crimes of their parents. Riddle, the enigma that became he-who-must-not-be-name. How many others would make that connection? Though it was a safer than her mother's married name. Given what Dumbledore told her, the name Lestrange was as good as a curse. Even her maiden name of Black, was now associated with murder and betrayal.

She frowned, no matter what evidence said, she couldn't believe that Sirius could do what they said he did. He was so different than the others in her family. Maybe it was time to pay a visit to her Great-Uncle Arcturus. He was one of the more level headed members of there family. Aside from Narcissa he was the only other member of her clan that would talk with her. And was always good for a few kernels of advice.

Her mind was about to drift further down memory lane, when there came another commotion from the kitchen. It sounded several plates had been smashed, and that was followed by the cries of Nymphadora. Which in turn was quickly followed by cries of her new ward.

She sighed. She really wished Ted was home.

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**Author's Note (revise):** A few lines changed here and there, as well as a few spelling fixes. There was also a name change. I ran across the Black Family Tree not too long ago. Druella Rosier was Bellatrix's and Andromeda's mother. Their father was named Cygnus Black. Arcturus is Sirius's grandfather.

Is it better? Is it worst? Do I need to hurry up and write Chapter 5 and work also on my other fics?


	2. Chapter 01 Year 1

**Agena**

**JErosion**

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**Chapter 01 – Things only a child would understand – Year 1 (revise)  
**

She was hiding, or at least she was do her best to. A game of hide and seek had sent her running into the large storage shed that sat at the very back of their yard. She knew it was a bad place to hide. But she figured that since it was so obvious, her dear cousin would probably spend ten minutes searching every other nook and cranny of the property, before coming to look for her in here. So far Nymphadora had yet to disappoint her.

Aside from the shed there were only so many places one could hide while outside. But her _mother_, or she should say her _aunt_, had been very specific, that they where no longer allowed to play in the house. She had to blame Nymphadora for that. Despite being of age as well as an Auror in training, she was an absolute klutz. Most of the time she could walk though the house without tripping or knocking over something. Merlin help her should she ever be in a situation where her life depended on it.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are." came a singsong voice from just beyond the door of the shed. Agena ducked behind a barrel that sat near the door.

A moment later the door swung open allowing a tall figure with bright green hair to come strolling in. In all honestly she looked like some grungy teen from the city. But that was far from true. Despite her looks she was a witch. Maybe that was the advantage there family had. She suppose the proper analogy would be, that they had one foot in and one foot out. Her Aunt had married a muggle-born wizard. And in doing so she had gained a great deal of insight into both the world of magic and the ordinary world, that Muggles lived in. And she was thankful for it, as she didn't particularly care for traditional wizard clothing. Just wearing robes felt weird to her. She like her cousin she preferred a blending of the two. There were other things that Agena had an appreciation for. Like when Nymphadora was home from school during the summer, they would go to the muggle movie theaters.

Speaking of Nymphadora, she had kicked open the door suddenly and stood in the doorway as she began survey of the storage building. To her surprize the young woman didn't even look towards her as she entered the shed. Agena knew she was caught, and with cousin standing right there, she knew she would be able to sneak past her to get away.

"Well if your not over there then you must be..." her cousin said loudly, " OVER HERE!!!"

When she jumped around and lunged towards her. Agena let out a screech. Instead of the warm heart-shaped face she had come to expect, she found her herself looking at the large bulbous nose and the heavy jaw of a troll.

Yet Nymphadora being who she was, she wasn't able to do her quick turn around without stumbling and falling off to the side. Agena took the opportunity and ran for it. She felt Nymphadora take a swipe at her leg in an attempt to grab her, but failed. Agena had always been quick in these situations, and not a second later she was free of the shed, half shrieking and half giggling. This was fun for her.

And that thing that Nymphadora could do was always a lot of fun too. Agena was a little jealous of her. She wished that she had the ability to change her appearance at will. Not that she hadn't tried to do it either. But no matter how long she concentrated in front of the mirror, her face remained the same. Or the mirror broke. But that was just a little use of accidental magic.

While it was disappointing not to be a Metamorphmagus also, she could also say that Nymphadora wasn't the only one with talents. She had the ability to do something that neither her cousin nor her Aunt could do.

She ran into the bushes that marked the edge of the property. There was a wooded area that lay beyond that boundary. This area was always out of bounds when it came to their games. But that was mostly because Agena had an advantage here. Now she was far from being a tomboy or a woodsman, but she just had a certain talent when it came to forests. She just knew how to hide in them and how to listen. She couldn't really explain it beyond that. Also she had _friends_ in the woods. They always sought her out. And they would tell her if danger was coming or where to find what she was looking for.

She had found a low spot between the roots of a large tree. She took a second catch her breath. A heartbeat later she closed her eyes and listened very carefully. Aside from the soft rustle of the leaves, the woods were quiet. That was strange, she knew that Nymphadora was right behind her. But she stayed put. She wasn't going to risk revealing herself to the person that was chasing her unless it was necessary. And besides, she knew she was out there. That girl wasn't one to give up on a game like this, even is the person she was playing against, cheated a little.

Even though they were really cousins, Nymphadora was a sister to her. In a similar manner Aunt Andromeda was a mother, and nothing would ever change that. She had never known her real parents. Sometimes that did bother her. She didn't know if she would ever have the chance to meet them. In fact she wasn't even sure if her father was even alive. From what she had been told, her biological mother had been locked away in Azkaban. The reasons why was a bit of dark topic in their house. It was something only spoke about sparingly and never in full detail. The same thing was true about the man who sired her. She knew that her father, was not the man that her mother had married. Aunt Andromeda would only tell her that , she didn't know anything about him. But sometimes she didn't know if Aunt Andromeda really knew or not. Either way she was given the impression that he was the same sort of person her mother was.

A tiny whisper caught broke her from her thoughts. She looked around briefly before zeroing in on it's source. Far out in front of her she could see a movement on the ground. Some of the old and dried leaves shifted and sticks rose slightly with the passing of the traveler.

"_Hullo_" she greeted her visitor. She smiled, she was always happy to exercise her abilities. It was sort of odd but the first time it had happened, she didn't even realize that she had done it. She had to guess it had been the same way with Nymphadora's skill. Waking up one day to discover that somehow she had accidentally changed her physical appearance.

_Good day. _Came a soft murmur. Agena could see a pair of shinny black eyes appear from beneath a small branch. Tentatively it slid out a little further, revealing a small head, that was a muddy brown color.

"_How are you_?" she asked the serpent, she didn't have to speak that loudly. As words whispered in the snake speech always carried much farther than things spoken in the normal tongue.

_Good. Good._ Came it's response. She watched the snake carefully, it tilted it's head ever so slightly. It's tongue flickered out. It wanted to ask her something. but also it didn't. It wasn't something out of fear, but rather out of respect. Agena thought it had something to do with her being both a witch and being able to speak to them.

"_I'm hiding right now_." the said quietly, guessing that was what the snake was curious about. She ventured a peek around the tree trunk to see if she could spot her pursuer. Yet she found nothing. A bit of worry start to creep into her. She hadn't run that far into the woods. And her cousin wasn't one to give up so easy. They didn't get the chance to play around like they used to. When she went to Hogwarts, they always had the winter and spring holidays, as well as summer to play around. But now that she was training to be an Auror she had even less time and when she did get breaks, she spent most of them sleeping. This had been one of those rare occasions when the trainees had been given a full week off. And she was ever so happy for it. It had been a while since they had been able to spend some time together.

She smiled, Nymphadora had promised to take her to Diagon Alley later this week.

She had already thought of all the places that she wanted to go, the chief of which was the Fortescues's Ice Cream Parlor. But any further planning was brought to a sudden halt when her companion let out a long hiss. She turned to it to see that a rather visible change had come over it.

"_What's wrong?_"

_Somethings here, something unseen._ The snake retreated after delivering that warning, it slowly disappeared beneath the forest debris.

Cautiously she looked around, peering around the trunk of the tree she hid behind. She saw nothing, but the snake was right. She could feel it now. It was subtle. It was sort of like lying down on a newly made bed, that had a sheet of paper hidden beneath the sheets. It's was something you couldn't see visually, but you would feel it and hear it as you laid down on top of it.

But this presence... It was one she had felt before.

"Professor?" she called out.

"Ah, Your as preceptive as always."

She jumped at the voice. Whipping around, she suddenly found a very tall and old man standing where just a second before had been nothing. He was a familiar face at their house. So much so, that at one point she had thought that he might have been a relative of hers. But he was no such thing. This was Albus Dumbledore, one of the greatest and most powerful wizards living today. He had done so many incredible things during the course of his life. He defeated the dark wizard Grindelwald. And later he fought against the dark wizard Voldemort, even though he was the Headmaster of Hogwarts.

They say, that Dumbledore, was the only wizard that Voldemort ever feared. That statement alone was a testament to just how powerful the Headmaster was. And that was another thing. Agena always had trouble understanding why so many wizards and witches, never referred to that dark wizard by his name. It was always _He-who-must-not-be-named_ or _You-know-who._ As far as she was concerned it was a little too long winded. And almost every adult she knew cringed at the name. Even her aunt and her cousin did. But it was Professor Dumbledore who was different. He was the only one to encourage her to call him by his name. And that fearing a name, only gave him more power.

That was probably one of the reasons why she liked it when the Professor came around. He encouraged that little bit of rebelliousness in her. That and he looked like a skinny Father Christmas.

"Hello Agena."

She blushed under his twinkling gaze. The more she thought about it, the more she felt as though he was family as well. From what she understood a few of her "great-grand" relatives were still alive. But most of them regarded Aunt Andromeda with disdain. But that really didn't matter anymore. It seemed as though a sort of melancholy had seized the House of Black. Andromeda's father and mother were dead as were many of family members of their generation. She had a few Aunts and Uncles that were still alive. However her grandparents and great-grandparents had already passed on. So in many ways she had come to regard Professor Dumbledore as the grandfather she never had. He always willing to offer her words of encouragement, not to mention that he usually had a bag of sweets on him.

He had also been the first one to smile at her, when she discovered her ability. At the time her Aunt was mortified. Nymphadora was more curious about it than anything else. The Professor told her that it was very rare gift and that she should be proud of. However, he also warned her that she should be cautious of who she revealed it to. He went on to explain how people in the their world had grown to fear and distrust people who shared her ability. And that Parselmouths were often associated with practitioners of the Dark Arts. But he also told her that there had been just as many good wizards as there had been dark ones, that had the ability.

"So what brings you here Professor." she asked.

He smiled at her and slid a hand into his robes, and then withdrew a two little sticks of wrapped candy. He offered her one of them and took the other for himself. Agena pulled at the treat's wax paper wrapper and began to crew on her prize. They began walking towards her home he spoke again.

"A few moments ago I was speaking with your Aunt, when I saw you and Nymphadora running out of that storage building. She stopped chasing you when she saw me. Nymphadora was going to come and get you, however I thought it would be better if I came to find you my self. "

"Oh? Why sir?"

Once more his hand slid into his cloak, but instead of retrieving another candy, he withdrew thick envelope. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of it. Because of Nymphadora being home, she had forgotten all about receiving her letter. She reached forward with shaking hands, to accept the letter from he held out to her.

Brazen across the front in metallic green lettering was. _Agena D. Culverin._

Quickly she flipped the envelope over. She intended to rip it open, but paused as her eyes met the wax seal on the back, that bore the impression of the school's coat of arms. Her eyes paused briefly over the image of the snake in the corner. A second later she was pulling out the contents of the envelope. And immediately began reading the cover letter.

"It would have arrived by owl early this month, but I wanted to deliver it personally." he told her, after giving her a minute to read. She looked up at him, her blue eyes shinned brightly. This was what she had been waiting for. After spending the last two years watching Nymphadora being able to use magic when ever she wanted, she had grown more and more eager to do so herself. She didn't get to go last year because her birthday was in November and well after the September first cutoff. But now she was old enough and had had opportunity to be taught magic.

Nymphadora still had some of her old books, from back during her first year at Hogwarts. They were in bad shape, but still usable. She had been reading though them in hopes of getting a head start. Without a wand she really didn't expect to be able to do much. But she found that when she practiced the words aloud and mimicked the wand movements that were instructed with her hands, sometimes things would happen. Like when she tried a levitation charm, she actually got an old doll of hers to move a bit. And on one occasion time she managed to make it float for a few seconds. But she hadn't been able to repeat her success with any real consistency.

When they cleared the bushes and reentered the yard, she found her aunt and cousin waiting for her. She even saw that Feezy had joined them, which was a rare since she didn't go outside very often these days. Lately the old house elf hadn't been looking very well. Even with her old scars healed up, she wasn't doing so good.

Agena ran ahead to join her waiting family. Hold her letter out above her head, eager to show her family what Professor Dumbledore had given her. Her Aunt immediately pulled her into a hug. Nymphadora, on the other hand, had snatched her letter out of her hand and began to look over her supply list. Feezy shuffled over, sadly mumbling that her young mistress would be leaving.

Her future headmaster joined them a moment later. Aunt Andromeda offered him some tea, but he declined her offer saying that he had to see about another student, who seemed to be having trouble getting his acceptance letter. And without so much a pop, he vanished from sight. Agena smiled, she couldn't wait to go. She wanted to learn everything she could. Especially Apparition, she wondered if she would be able to do it like Professor Dumbledore did. Most people when they apparated or disapparated, made a loud popping sound when they did it. Even Nymphadora did when she started out. She did it with an ear splitting crack, but since she started her training she had managed to get quieter.

But Agena knew she was a long way from doing any of that. In fact she was a long way from doing a lot of things. Sure she had her successes in her experiments. But that wasn't the same as actual instruction. She just couldn't wait to learn. And until then she would be counting the days until she received her wand. She smiled as her eyes lingered at where the Professor had stood. She couldn't wait.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Another revision down four more to go. There weren't as many mistakes in this one as there were in the previous chapter, but I need to keep on writing. I didn't add to much to this chapter I just smoothed out a few paragraphs here and there. And add a few referances to members of the Black family.  



	3. Chapter 02 Year 1

**Agena**

**JErosion**

**Chapter 02 – Introducing Ms. Culverin – Year 1 (revise)**

* * *

After she had received her acceptance letter, the rest of the week seemed to slip by quickly. There always seemed as though there was something she had to do. 

But Agena couldn't complain, since that made the trip to Diagon Alley, that Nymphadora promised her, to come a lot quicker. But the viste to the wizard marketplace wasn't just for fun, it was a necessity now. Aside from a pewter cauldron, they didn't have a single thing that was on the list. And even though Nymphadora still had some of her old school supplies, they were no longer in... an _acceptable_ condition. There are only so many Reparo spells you can cast on something, before you just need to throw it out.

For their trip today, they would be taking _The Knight Bus. _It wasn't Agena's first choice when it came to travel, Honestly she preferred Apparition, even though she couldn't do it on her own yet. But she would be able to go that way today. Her Aunt had a thing against Apparition. And the last time Nymphadora took her to Diagon Alley by Side-A-Long Apparition, Aunt Andromeda had an absolute fit. They both got this ridiculous lecture on how they could have gotten hurt or fined because you were only suppose to do Side-A-Long during emergences.

She didn't really worry. Nymphadora may be a cluntz but her spell work was top notch. Both of them just reckoned that Andromeda got herself splinched up bad.

Unfortunately traveling by Floo was out as well. Their fireplace has been disconnected, ever since her Aunt got into that argument with some witch that worked in The Floo Network Office. And chances where that it would remain disconnected for a long time.

Agena was conflicted when it came to using the triple-decker bus to get from place to place. Most of her complaints came from seating arrangements. Instead of the uniform plastic seats found in similar muggle transportation. There was a vast collection of mismatched chairs and benches. That wouldn't have been so bad, but they didn't even both to cast a sticking spell on them to keep them in place. But there was no such luck. She would be resigned to holding onto her chair as every bump and swerve the bus took, would send both her and her seat sliding.

Yet riding the Knight Bus wasn't all discomfort. She and her cousin were often able to share a giggle. Mostly from the conductor of the Knight Bus, a wiry young fellow, by the name of Stan Shunpike. He was about Nymphadora's age give or take. And despite being half her age, he was completely enamored with Andromeda. When ever he saw her get on the bus, his eyes would light up, and a blush would take hold of his acne scared face.

"Good ta see ya there Mrs. Tonks." he's say nervously while trying to smarten himself up. Which wasn't very effective, considering how sloppy he wore the his uniform. "Here ya go! You can sit right ' ere. It's most comfortable chair we's got."

Agena laughed silently as she watched the boy who, in her opinion, was making a complete fool of himself. Not that she could blame him entirely. Aunt Andromeda was still a very beautiful woman. And on some or another Agena was pretty sure that her Aunt appreciated the attention. And considering that she had spent the last ten years raising two girls on, she was probably feeling a little lonely.

Agena sighed.

There was no reason for it. It was just so illogical. Wizards made up just a small fraction of the larger human population. And how many witches and wizards died in the last war? And how many of those where the pure-bloods that Voldemort claimed to champion? And that doesn't include all of those that vanished without a trace? In a way that was far worse, since the victim's family would always be left questioning what had happened.

It wasn't fair. For Andromeda's husband to be taken away like that.

But the most terrible thing was that her mother had taken part in it. Well that was just conjecture. There was no way to tell whether or not she had any involvement in Uncle Ted's disappearance. But she had willingly joined the ranks of those who had. She looked over to her cousin, who was trying her best to stay upright in the lawn chair in which she was sitting.

When it came to her father, Nymphadora's recollection of him was foggy at best. He had been gone for ten years now, yet he still had a profound effect on Nymphadora. It was his vanishing that had motivated Nymphadora into becoming an Auror.

Nymphadora squealed as her chair went sliding into a park bench. The only good thing about the Knight Bus was that it was quick. Which was a blessing to it's green faced passengers. Agena really only had a second to notice the country side as it swept past their window. It wasn't long before it gave way to a blur of buildings. And with a hideous jerk as it came to an abrupt stop, sending both Agena and her cousin, siding towards the front of the bus.

And they weren't the only ones. There was a load crash above in one of the upper levels. And their acne scarred conductor had been trying to coax her guardian in some small talk. He was trying so hard, that he neglected to pay attention to anything that was going on around him. So he didn't hear when Ernie Prang, the elderly wizard who drove the bus, said that they were coming up on London.

Stan ended up flat on his back.

"Tol' ya we be comin' up to ar stop. Ya gettin' too distract'd botherin' the pass' ngers. " Ernie cackled in his thick accent.

Stan sprang up back on to his feet, and tried to straighten himself. But it was a little late to look dignified. Agena was trying very hard not to laugh. The only thing keeping her from doing so, was the sharp look her Aunt was sending her.

As they disembarked from the bus, Agena noticed that they weren't the only ones to get off here. In fact there seemed to be many family groups. One by one they made a procession into The Leaky Cauldron, a pub which was literally a dingy hole-in-the-wall, compared to the muggle shops that sat on either side of it.

Nymphadora gave her a push forward as they followed the others. It had been a while since she had last seen the inside of the tavern. And from the looks of things she wasn't missing too much. As usual, the inside of this building was dark and smoky. But something seemed different today. Like it was brighter. There was a large congregation of witches and wizards all collected at the bar, chatting happily and in an excited manner.

"I can't believe it! I got to shake his hand!" exclaimed a wizard, who was wearing a top hat.

"You got ta' keep an eye out 'em. 'E's gonna do great things that boy!" said another.

"That one will grow into a handsome young man." said a witch, who was holding a long pipe.

Before she could hear anymore, she received another push from Nymphadora. And before she knew it, she was being ushered though an archway and then down a twisting cobblestone road. From there Diagon Alley opened up into a dizzying array of shops.

"Alright," Aunt Andromeda started, as she addressed them both, "I think this will go a little quicker if we split up. You two can go ahead and get the books on the list from Flourish and Blotts. Then after that, you can head on over to Madam Malkin's. Hmmm, That will probably take a while, so afterwards we'll all get a bite at that café that's across from the across from the Owl Post."

"But what will you being doing mum?" Nymphadora asked.

"I'll be taking care of all the... _breakable items_, that she needs" She gave her daughter a smile, which was returned with a frown. Agena giggled a little reminder of Nymphadora's clumsiness.

"Hush up brat!" her cousin growled.

Agena blew her a raspberry.

"Alright, you two." her Aunt interrupted, with a soft chuckle. "After lunch we'll go to Ollivanders."

Agena eyes widened. She knew that name. There wasn't a witch or wizard in the whole of Britain who didn't.

"Wait! Why can't we go there first! If we wait too long all the good ones might be taken!" Agena shouted impulsively.

But her Aunt gave her a smile and shook her head.

"It doesn't work that way. It not about getting a good wand, it's about getting the right one. It will have nothing to do with how quickly you get there." And with that she handed Nymphadora a small bag, that clinked with the sounds of coins. "I'll make a stop over at Gringotts, before I get the other things."

"Come on Agena," Nymphadora said as they watched the older woman walk down the street.

They began to head in the opposite direction. Agena looked a little more carefully at the shops they passed. She was going to go to Hogwarts now. And that meant that everything here, had a little relevance to her. There where many shops knew shops that she had never been to before. There was the Apothecary, which she had never been really fond of. A little further down the street was a favorite of hers, The Magical Menagerie, a shop that sold all sorts of interesting creatures.

Then Agena saw something quite startling. For a moment she thought a bear had wandered into Diagon Alley. But no it turn out to be a man, who by her estimates had to be at least ten feet tall. She looked to see if Nymphadora had spotted him too, not like anyone could miss him. How she saw an excited grin take hold of her face.

"Wotcher, Hagrid!" she called out to the giant.

This _Hagrid_ fellow stopped in tracks and turned around. His shaggy coat billowed out enough that he almost knocked over a passing witch. His entire head was tangled mop of hair, and set right in the middle of it all, was a pair of shiny black eyes and a set of rosy cheeks. And oddly enough he was holding a pair of ice cream cones that seemed minuscule when compared to his enormous hands.

"'Ello there, Tonks!" He walked towards her, quickly crossing the distance in three of his giant steps. "'Aven't seen you in almost two years. What brings you here today."

Nymphadora placed an arm around Agena and brought her forward.

"My little cousin here, is starting her first year at Hogwarts. Hagrid, this is Agena Culverin." She gave her shoulders a squeeze and then gestured with her hand towards the giant as she introduced them. "And this is Rubeus Hagrid, he's the grounds and game keeper over at Hogwarts. If you should ever find yourself in the forest that's around Hogwarts, he's the man you want to watch your back."

Hagrid's face reddened complement.

"So Hagrid, what about you? Why did you come to Diagon Alley?" Nymphadora asked.

"Oh, uh... just a bit of Hogwarts business."

"Really?" She asked skeptically, nodding at the two ice creams he held.

He gave a short laugh.

"Oh, this? Dumbledore asked... I got... It's just a little sum'tin for Har... for a student that I'm escotin', he'll be starting up this year too. E' didnut' have anyone to show him how to get 'ere so I brought him."

Agena watched Nymphadora nod, but to her it sounded like he was a little uncomfortable talking about why he was here. Like he wanted to steer the conversation in another direction. But after listening to the two of them talk together, she came to the conclusion that he was a nice fellow, a little intimidating, but still good guy. And besides it's kind of hard to be scared of someone who's holding a pair of ice cream cones.

They walked together down a the road a bit, until they came up to the stores that they were looking for. Nymphadora said her goodbyes as Hagrid went on further down the road.

Flourish and Blotts had the look and feel of a small personal library that had about five times the number of books than it had self space for. The wooden selves bowed from their contents. And the books that couldn't fit in their destine location were stacked on the floor. There were tables that trembled under the weight that had been heaved upon them.

It took Agena a few moments to get herself oriented in the store. With the way the aisles were laid out it was like the shop was a cramped labyrinth. But slowly she began to see a pattern emerge from the clutter and chaos. She then spotted one from her list a _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi._ She looked around carefully and spotted another, Magical Drafts and Potions, on a self that was just a few feet away from her previous find. She looked around again and spot yet another book, when she suddenly found herself being pressed up against a nearby self.

"What!? Ar"

"Shhhhh!" came the rushed voice of her cousin. Agena twisted around, but she found that she was staring at her cousin's profile.

"What is it?"

Nymphadora didn't answer her. Agena noticed she was wearing a very serious expression. She followed her line of sight until she came to a very tall man with white blond hair. He was at the front counter, apparently paying for a large stack of books.

"Nymphadora? Who is it?"

"That..." her brow crinkled, "...would be Lucius Malfoy. But since he is married to your other Aunt, I suppose you could call him Uncle Lucius, that is if you can keep yourself from vomiting while you do it."

Agena wasn't quite following her.

"But isn't he your uncle too?"

"Oh, he is, " she nodded curtly, "but he'd sooner spit on me, than acknowledge that I am a relation."

"But what do you mean?"

"He looks down upon half-bloods, like me, and he despises muggleborns. But worst of all is that he was one of You-know-who's supporters.

Agena frowned. One of Voldemort's supporters.

"Why isn't he in Azkaban?"

"When You-Know-Who was defeated, he was one of the first Wizards to come out and claim that he had been bewitched. That he had been put under the Imperius curse and was forced to do terrible things. But that's all bullocks. With as deep as the Malfoy's pockets run, I willing to bet he bribed as many as he could to stay out of that prison."

Agena didn't really have time to observe him with any further, as he seemed to concluded his business with the wizard at the front desk. Nymphadora grabbed her shoulder and pulled Agena back behind her.

"It would be better if he didn't see you."

"Why?"

"The older you get, the more you look like _your_ mother, and if he sees you he might make the connection. He could cause a lot of trouble for us. Not to mention some trouble for you." Her cousin released her after that man left the store.

"If at all possible, you don't want anyone at Hogwarts to know who your mother is. And also it might be a good thing if you keep that other little _talent_ of yours a secret as long as possible."

"But..." she started, but as she thought about it her cousin was right. Her mother was a deatheater and the perpetrator of a crime heinous enough to earn a life sentience in Azkaban. Not many would regard her in a very friendly manner.

And she supposed she was right. And having everyone know you are a Parslemouth would attract all sorts of attention. And generally it wasn't positive attention. Especially since it would bring up questions of her parentage. From what she knew about her, she would have had to have inherited her ability to speak to snakes from her father. Well that and her eyes. Her mother's eyes were such a dark brown, that they could have been considered black.

Her eyes were blue, but not like Professor Dumbledore's. It was the sort of color that Nymphadora liked to call, a dead-man blue. Which wasn't the most flattering thing to tell a young girl. But in some way she had to agree with her. They were just dull and even a cold shade. But Nymphadora told her that she should worry about it, although, with the right facial expression, she could probably stare down a dragon.

It took a while to find the rest of her books. It was a little slow going, with all the thoughts that now filled her head. Even Nymphadora still seemed agitated after seeing that Malfoy person. So much that she did something that was a little surprising for her.

She didn't trip or knock over anything.

After that the two of them filed into Madame Malkin's. There they were served by Madame Malkin herself. She was a little plump witch with a kind and almost grandmotherly voice.

"My my, You have such lovely hair." Malkin complemented her, as she was pined the neck of her robes.

Agena went red at the old woman's words. It wasn't that she didn't like the complements, even Aunt Andromeda had said the very same thing on numerous occasions. It just felt a little odd that all. She stared at herself in the mirror as that witch continued to work around her. Honestly she never saw what was so great about it. It was about shoulder length, with a slight curl to it. And her hair was as black as pitch, which made her look even paler than she already was. Those were the features of her mother.

They walked away with a four sets of black work robes, they got an extra set, just because. And one winter cloak, although Agena begged her cousin to get her one of those Auror traveling cloaks. Nymphadora just laughed and said she see about it after she passed her training.

After that was there business was concluded there, they set out towards the Owl Post. It turned out that Aunt Andromeda was already waiting for them. Lunch was rather uneventful. But Agena had trouble eating, considering how nervous she felt. She knew what was coming, and where they were all going next.

Ollivanders was a dark building, that looked as though it was a bit older than all the structures around it. Even the sign above the door said _Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C_. Which was staggering to think that this establishment had been in business for over two thousand years.

A little bell announced their entrance into the building. At once Agena felt an odd pull inside her. The inside of the shop was dark and dusty. What daylight penetrated the dusty windows, only shinned in a muted tone. Even the candles that hung from the walls, seemed dull. But there was something here. Something in the air that made this shop feel like a hallowed place.

It was sometime before she realized that she was being watched. The bell that rang as the door opened and closed turned out not to have been necessary, at the front counter stood what could have only been Mr. Ollivander, who had been sorting though a large stack of rectangular boxes.

Mr. Ollivander was a very peculiar man. His most prominent feature, had to be his eyes, which glowed brightly when compared to dreary lighting in the shop. His hair was a glittering white, that even more wild than Nymphadora's current hair style.

She noticed a soft smile settle on his feature as he looked towards her Aunt.

"Ah, Andromeda Tonks. It's been quite a while since I have seen you in here. What was it? Ah yes, ten inches Cottonwood and Phoenix feather if I'm not mistaken."

"Yes it is, and I still use it." she acknowledged with a nod.

"Excellent. Excellent." he praised, "Take care of wand and it will take care of you for life."

"I saw your sister in here earlier. She came to pick out a wand for her son." His smile faded. "She insisted on a wand with some power. I suggested that she bring him in for a proper wand fitting, but... Well, you are aware of how _insistent_ she can be."

Andromeda nodded, however Agena got the impression that '_insistent'_ was a nice way of saying stubborn. After that Mister Ollivander turned his attention towards Nymphadora, his eyebrows rose at the sight of her hair.

"Your first wand was Beech and Phoenix feather, your second was made from mulberry... you haven't broken another one have you?"

Agena smiled as Nymphadora began to stammer that it was strictly an accident. And that she had no control of what had happened.

"This," Aunt Andromeda said, "is my niece, Agena Culverin. She'll be starting Hogwarts this year."

"Culverin you say?" He asked it in a curious tone. One that had a touch of disbelief in it. Mr. Ollivander walked around the counter and then knelt in front of her. He stared for a good while, but slowly she something stir in his silvery unblinking eyes. Something that gave the young girl a bit of uneasiness. Recognition.

"I see... your niece you say. Yes, I see it now. I never knew you eldest sister had a child," He continued to stare, giving her a decidedly queer look. "You certainly have the look of your mother, but the eyes are someone else's. And they certainly aren't her Husband's."

Agena felt a very nervous flutter in her chest. This man recognized who her mother was. But there was something else, something terrible in the way he looking at her. Did he see more?

"...by Merlin," he whispered, his wide eye's seem to grow even wider. He then stood up straight and backed away. He looked away his eyes scanning running over the empty spaces of the store. "Well..." his voice returned to a normal level, "Lets get you measured up, which is your wand hand?"

Nervously she extended her right hand. Her mind was all over the place. Did he know who her father was? Mr. Ollivander reached into his pocket and pulled out a strange measuring tape. He began to measure odd bits of her, first starting from the tip of her index finger to her wrist, then from her knuckles to her elbow. And then around her forearm. It wasn't long before he seemed to find the measurements that he was looking for. He walked back to the large stack of boxes that he had on the counter.

"Something aromatic, I think." he sifted through a few of the boxes before separating out about four of them. He opened one of them and withdrew a yellowish wand.

"Sandalwood and unicorn tail. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Go ahead and give it a give it a try."

When she took it from him. She only had a chance to roll the handle in her fingers before he took it away from her. He immediately opened yet another box. This time pulling out a reddish wand.

"Cedar," he said, " phoenix tail feather, ten inches, and ridged." Yet again Mr. Olivander took the wand from her . But instead of pulling another out another one, he just stared at her, his finger tapped the remaining boxes. And after a moment he muttered, "None of these will do."

He then walked back behind the counter and disappeared into the shadows of his shop. A moment he returned carrying a single box. He opened up the box and presented it to her. Inside was a grayish wand, when she took hold of it, she could tell that this was different. And when she held it properly, something unexpected happened. The tip of the wand emitted a splash of white and green sparks. And for a moment she thought she heard a melodious roar.

Mr. Ollivander smiled, although Agena thought it was a sad one.

"Juniper and Dragon Heartstring, ten and a half inches, pliable. It's unusual an unusual combination, but I've found that the unusual, makes for a interesting wands. And the dragon that provided its core was a particularly robust Welsh Green."

They paid Mr. Ollivander eight galleons for the wand. Agena was happy to finally have her wand, but she was still bother by the reactions of the shop keeper. But the thing she wanted to know the most was if he knew her father. But there had been another thing, he had regarded her surname in a skeptical manner. She wanted to ask, but at the same time she was also afraid of what he may actually tell her. Then she thought of Nymphadora in the book store, and what she said. That if that Malfoy person saw her it would create problems. She suddenly felt as though everyone knew something about that they didn't want her to know.

She sighed. Even if she asked, she doubted that they would them. But for the moment she other things to occupy herself with. She had books and a wand now. And she would start school soon. She could always find out about that other stuff later.

-

As they left the shop Mr. Ollivander went back to reorganizing the stack of boxes on his counter. He looked over to a vacant corner of the shop and then asked, "Do you wish to make yourself visible, or shall I pretend that I am talking to myself. "

"Well, there is no need for you to look as though you are losing your mind." a Wizard said as he reappeared.

"Culverin is a funny name, if I recall correctly that Pureblood family came to an end, when it's last two sons joined opposite sides of a wizarding conflict."

"Your correct, but both Andromeda and myself felt that she should enter Hogwarts under a pseudonym. It was too much of a risk for her enter the school with her father's name. And since there were no more Culverins and their family had married into the Blacks generations ago. She felt it would be a good name for to go by."

"I see. But please tell me that I won't regret selling that wand to her."

"No, I don't believe so," Dumbledore said. "She has inherited many things from her parent's, but I feel that she is also very different from them as well. I believe that Andromeda has done an admirable job raising her."

"Well I hope so. That wand I sold her... it's one of the best I have ever made. I hope she does not disappoint."

"I don't think we will have to worry about that."

Mr. Ollivander smiled a little.

"And speaking of good wands, you'll be curious to know who else came in here today..."

* * *

**Author's Note:** (revised) With the holidays being what they were I haven't had any time to work on this properly. But fear not. I shall finish this revision mumbo-jumbo and get back to writing. 


	4. Chapter 03 Year 1

**Agena**

**JErosion**

**Chapter 03 – It's all in your head – Year 1 (revise)**

**-**

Agena swore she felt a few of her bones crack.

"Mum you might want to let her go. She is turning blue," came the saving voice of her cousin.

She staggered slightly as her Aunt released her. Her eye's were teary. Normally the woman didn't make such displays of emotions in public. But today she was seeing her youngest leave for school.

"Now, you'll be good, and stay out of trouble." she said with a slight waver in her voice.

"Yes, ma'am."

Her Aunt smiled at her. Her face was filled with a little bit of sadness, and a little bit of pride.

"Well come on girl," Nymphadora said as she rubbed her hand on Agena's head. "You better get on board before everything gets too full and you get stuck having to sharing a compartment with some smelly kid."

Agena ran her hand through her hair to straighten what her cousin knocked out of place. And with a slight grunt Nymphadora helped her carry her trunk up the stairs.

"Now that mum is out of sight," she started, "You might want to go ahead and get your wand out of your trunk. I know mum locked it up, after we got back from Diagon Alley. But you know how she gets sometimes. Just don't forget that the moment you get sorted into a house at Hogwarts, you will fall under those Underage Sorcery laws. After that you won't be able to use magic outside of school. But..."

"I know! I know" Agena said exasperatedly. "How many times do I have to hear this lecture?!"

Nymphadora just smiled and then leaned in a little closer, as a few students slipped by them. "Since this train is school property, you are free to do magic as you please."

Nymphadora let out a hearty laugh, as Agena dropped to her knees to unlock her trunk. She just opened the lid a crack and slipped her hand in. There was the brief rattle of cardboard scraping the inside of her luggage, before Agena pulled out her wand. The gray stick quickly disappeared into her robes.

"What ever you do, don't just start blasting away. I know how capable you are without a wand. And yes, I have seen what you've doing to some of those old toys of yours. I don't even think Mum really knows how much you've been playing around.

"I know your not one to bring attention to yourself . But don't start showing off. Wait until you start classes. And... don't... you know what. I'm gonna shut up now." She reached over to Agena and pulled her into a firm hug.

"Take care little sister." She whispered. " And make sure to write to us."

"I'll do my best an'... I write... an... ," she started to trip over the right words. She wasn't sure what to say.

Nymphadora just shook her head.

"Don't worry, I know you'll do good."

With one last wave she began to pull her trunk down the aisle of the train car she entered. She passed up the first two compartments that she came across. The first had a group of older boys in it. It sounded like they were talking about some Quidditch match. The second compartment was full several loud and giggly girls. Even if there still had been room left she would have passed it up. Most of her friends and acquaintances tended to be much older that she was. So she tended to prefer the company of quieter people.

When she opened the door to the third compartment she found that there was only three girls inside.

"Oh, hey there!" said the girl that was closest to the window. She was a small asian girl, with long black hair. She noticed that she was already wearing her uniform. The necktie she wore was blue with thin strips of a dark brown.

"Are you a first year?" asked the other. She had curly strawberry-blond hair. And like her friend also boasted a similar tie.

"um, Yes," Agena confirmed, a little more nervously than she would have liked.

"It's alright you can sit in here." the asian girl said.

"um, Thanks." she replied as she pulled her trunk in behind her.

As Agena pushed her trunk into the corner, the asian girl stood up to introduce herself.

"I'm Cho Chang," she stated. Agena noticed that the girl was shorter than she was. Cho then motioned towards her companion. "And that's Marietta Edgecombe, were both second year Ravenclaws."

The third girl lean forward in her seat. Agena noticed that she wore a necktie as well, but her was a dark red with stripes of a golden yellow.

"I'm Katherine Bell, but most people call me Katie." She tugged at her tie. "I'm a second year too, but I'm in Gryffindor.

"um, it's... um, it's nice to meet you. I'm Agena Culverin" she stammered. She shook Cho's hand and then Katie's. Her friend just nodded to her. She was getting a little more nervous than she would like.

Agena never had a problem talking to adults. But when it came to kids her age, she was a little unsure on how to act. The only time she got exposed to other children was when her Aunt took her along with her when she went to pay certain friends a visit.

There was the writer and publisher of that funny magazine. He had a daughter, who was a nice girl and all, but she was a little off. Then there was lady that was was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, she had a niece that was about her age. And of coarse there was that one woman who worked in the Floo office, but she didn't think Aunt Andromeda would be visiting her again any time soon. Which was ok with her since her friendship with that woman's daughter had gone sour.

"Are your parents still waiting out there?" She pointed to the open window in their compartment.

Agena frowned. That was something else, her status in relation to her Aunt. tended to change depended on who her Aunt was talking to. I some instances she was her daughter, in others she was her niece, or even 'the daughter of an old friend.' Sometimes it was hard to remember who she was suppose to be.

"oh, um... I didn't come with my parents**–** Hey, Nymphadora!" she called out, as she spotted the young woman with the wavy pink hair.

"Hey Brat." the cousin said as she strode up to the side of the train car. Nymphadora didn't like it when people other than she and her mother called her by her first name. Most people called her by her surname. So she was always a little testy, when her given name was yelled out in public either. "I see you found a compartment."

"uh-huh. Umm, where's Aunt Andromeda?"

"Oh, mum? She saw someone she knew."

Agena looked out in the direction in which Nymphdora nodded her head. It took her a while, but she eventually spotted her. She seemed to be talking with a short, plump redheaded woman. Actually she seemed to be in the middle of a bunch of redheads.

"Do you know who are they?"

Nymphadora scratched her chin thoughtfully.

"Judging from the hair, I'd say they are the Weasleys."

From across the crowd they saw the plump woman and her Aunt, turn their way. Agena waved at them, both of the women returned the gesture.

"Oh, by the way. I saw our _illustrious_ Uncle. I think his son is in one of the cars near the front of the train. You haven't met him, but you'll know him by sight. And he is just like his father, only shorter. So watch yourself."

Nymphadora gave her a nod and walked off towards her mother.

"Was that your sister?"

Agena looked to Cho Chang, who had stepped up to the window beside her. The girl was probably an inch shorter than her.

"Sort of, shes really my cousin. But she is more like a sister."

"She has funny hair."

"Yeah, she sure does."

"So, your parents didn't come to see you off?" The Ravenclaw girl asked. Agena's mouth twitched.

"Well I really... I really don't have any. I lost them in that... business that went on, ten years ago. So my Aunt took me in."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

Agena shook her head.

"It doesn't really bother me." She lied.

After that the four girls sat in a bit of an awkward silence for a while. But Agena notcied that both Cho and Katie had brooms with them.

"Oh, this?" Katie said, tipping her broom. "It's a Comet Two-Eighty, I was going to tryout for The Gryffindor Quidditch team. I know it's not the best broom, but it's a sight better than the school brooms. Although I wish I had good Cleansweep or a Nimbus like Cho's."

Agena looked over the sleek looking broom that Cho was holding. She tuned it slightly so she could read the gold lettering that was stamped into the wood. _Nimbus 1700._

"When I told my parents that I was going to try for the team, they said that they would buy me a good broom, I didn't think my parents would get me one as nice as this. It's not the _2000_ model, but it's still a really nice one." Cho beamed. "Do you fly?"

"um, Not really. My sister let me try out her old Comet. But I think prefer to keep my feet on the ground."

It wasn't long before they where joined by another girl, who was also starting her first year. However she was a familiar face to Agena.

Every now and then, Aunt Andromeda would take her along with her when she went to have lunch with a rather formidable witch, named Amelia Bones. Agena really liked the woman, she had a been an Auror in her younger days, but now she served the Department Magical Law Enforcement as a judge. Now on a few of those visits, Madame Bones had her young niece with her.

Susan Bones was a driven young girl, who aspired to be just like her Aunt. She also had a streak of vanity in her as well. Her hair, which was a ash-blond, was very long. Even braided it reached all the way to the small of her back. She also had long and well manicured fingernails.

With a lurch the train began to move forward in a sluggish pace. Everyone went to the window, hoping they catch one last look at a relative. Agena looked carefully, but she failed to spot either her Aunt or Nymphadora. However she did see something of interest to her. Just like Nymphadora had warned, she saw the tall and imposing figure of Lucius Malfoy. He had his arm around the waist of tall and slim woman who was standing next to him. She was looking towards the front of the train, waving to some compartment that was far ahead of them. Even teary eyed, she looked very beautiful. But that was to be expected from the House of Black.

Lucius said something to her. She turn his way to respond to or perhaps answer whatever it was that he had said. But she didn't make it. For a brief moment Agena found herself looking straight into the eyes of her _other_ Aunt.

She had never met her Aunt Narcissa. Her and Aunt Andromeda didn't have much contact anymore. Every now and then they would write each other a letter, and on a rare occurrences they meet in person. Agena always got the impression that the reason why they didn't meet or talk more often, was because of Narcissa's husband. But despite her Aunt being a blood-traitor, they were still sisters. And no matter what there was nothing that could completely sever that bond.

But in that tiny moment, that they shared. She could see a peculiar look take over her features. It was a little bit of recognition, mixed in with a bit disbelief and confusion. And then it was over. Their _moment_ was ruined by an intervention by Lucius Malfoy, who placed a hand on her shoulder to regain her attention. Agena immediately removed herself from the window, allowing Susan Bones a chance to wave at her mother.

She was sure that Aunt Andromeda told her sister that she was taking care of her. But knowing her Aunt, she probably would keep things as ambiguous as possible. By omitting little facts, like the identity of her mother.

"Was it just your mom who brought you?" Agena asked Susan.

"Yeah, it was just her. My Auntie could get off of work today."

"So which house do you think you'll get sorted into?"

"I'm not sure. My mama and my Aunt were both in Hufflepuff, but my dad was in Gryffindor. So I guess I'll be going into either of those houses."

"Well what about the you?" Marietta asked her, having overheard what they were talking about.

"Well, um... my Aunt and most of her family were in Slytherin, but their have been a few that were sorted into Ravenclaw and Gryffindor." Agena noticed that the mention of Slytherin, seemed to get a reaction from Katie. Though Agena didn't have much time to think about it, since there was a knock on the compartment door. It slid open, revealing a kindly look witch with deep dimples.

"Anything off of the cart?" She asked.

After perusing though her selections, Agena opted for a Cinnamon Cauldron Cake, and a bottle of Fizzy MacKee's Soda.

As they ate, Agena noticed that they had left London behind. Outside was become a passing mural of open pastures and the occasional herd of sheep.

After a while it was Cho's friend that restarted the conversation. Agena smiled slightly as the Edgecombe girl kept trying to steer the conversation away from Quidditch, and onto subject she was more familiar with.

There was a sudden knock at door. It opened to reveal a girl with a great abundance of bushy brown hair. From the looks of things she was a first year as well.

"Can we help you?" Marietta asked.

"I'm sorry, but have any of you seen a toad?" She asked in a serious and a bossy sort of tone.

"A toad?" Agena asked, wondering for a moment if she had misheard her.

"Yes. There is a boy named, Neville, and he seems to have misplaced his."

Agena sort of blinked at her question. The supply list said that they could bring either a owl, a cat or a toad. Agena couldn't imagine why anyone would actually want to bring a toad. However they could only answer with a collective _no_.

"Well that's alright I'll just check with the next compartment...Oh!" She said suddenly, " Your in Gryffindor."

Katie nodded uncertainly.

"Tell me, what's it like in their?"

"um,.. It's... alright I guess."

"I really do hope I get sorted into Gryffindor, after all that's the same house that the Headmaster was in, and they say he is one of the greatest wizards in the world... Although I don't think Ravenclaw would be so bad either. I hear they take in the smartest and the most eager to learn. And I can't wait to start classes. I've already read though all of my coarse books. I've tried out a couple of the simpler spells, and they all seem to work fine. I really wish I could have done more, but I guess at a certain point you need a teacher's instruction. Not to mention that my parents are still trying to adjust to the whole thing. Nobody in my family, before me, has had any magical powers... But I guess I've always know I was different, than other children. But I had no idea of how different I was... Oh, My name is Hermione Granger."

She had said everything in a single breath.

A quick glance around the room revealed that the other girls seemed to be wearing some forced smiles. Agena smiled as well, but not just from being polite or anything. She had taken an immediate liking to the girl. She could understand her desire to want to learn. And why she wouldn't stop talking either. Hermione was just nervous. Probably just as nervous as she was about coming here. Although Agena was far more content to stay quite, and not talk about herself.

She wasn't about to tell anyone that she had read though a good portion of cousin's old books as well as her new ones. After all, why should she hint that she may have an advantage over her classmates.

"I'm Agena Culverin," she extended her hand as she introduced herself. Hermione's face lit up considerably. Agena wondered if anyone in any of the other compartments had offered her such greeting. Cho stood up from her seat and offered her a like greeting. The others introduced themselves in turn. Hanna and Katie, while Marietta only gave her a nod.

"Well, I best get back to helping Neville. It was nice meeting you all." She said brightly as she exited the compartment.

"Well she was energetic." Cho commented with a wry smile. Her friend shook her head in an almost disgusted manner.

"Muggleborns," Marietta muttered in an annoyed manner. Cho elbowed her.

"Be nice." Cho hissed.

After that the conversation returned back to a mindless banter of which lead singer of which band was the cutest.

-

It was a longer ride that Agena expected it to be. By her watch it had taken over eight hours for the steam engine to them from King's Cross to the Hogsmeade Station. As the train began to slow down a loud voice echoed throughout the train.

"_Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."._

After a quick check of the lock on her trunk. Agena left the compartment and joined the other students as they began to file out of the train.

Agean noticed that beyond the station she could make out the lights of a village, but she could see no sign of the school. Nymphadora had always told her that Hogwarts was a huge castle. But then again the countryside was very hilly and well forested. She saw that the students were all walking towards a long row of black horseless carriages

"Hey," said Cho Chang, tapping her shoulder. "You first years need to go down to the end of the station. You'll go to the school in a different way."

Her eye's followed to were her finger pointed. Down at the far end of the train, towering over the heads of the children was the large and bear-like figure of the Hogwarts Gamekeeper.

"All right! Firs' years! Firs' years over here! " the giant man called out.

She ran down the platform to join the gathering crowd. Once he seemed satisfied that he had everyone. Hagrid led them down a narrow and rocky path. At the bottom of the trail they came to a pebble strewn shore, that was lined with a good number of little boats. But Agena hardly paid any attention to them. Before all of them was a wide lake that was more like a giant black mirror, reflecting only the darkened sky and the shimmer of lights of the distant castle. Nymphadora never told her that it would be like this, She had begged to tell her what she should expect. But she kept refusing, saying that it would ruining the surprise. And she could see why.

It looked as though every window of the school was lit a blaze. And the surface of the black lake reflected those lights into a glittering pathway.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called out.

Cautiously they all filed into the boats. She took a seat next to Susan, the two remaining spots were taken in by a pair of twin girls. Under normal circumstances she would felt the need to offer them a nod, or some other form of acknowledgment. But at that moment she felt as though an entire nest of fairies had taken up residence in her stomach. She didn't think would have been able to bring herself to speak, even if she wanted to.

"Everyone in?" Asked Hagrid, not hearing any voices to the contrary, he then shouted "FORWARD!"

At his command, all of the little boats seem jump in the water. And almost immediately they all began to drift forward, following the boat that Hagrid was in.

It was some time before the reached the castle and even then they didn't land on the opposite shore, instead they drifted into a cave, that sheltered a sort of hidden harbor. Their boats settled alongside the piers that jutted the water.

Following Hagrid's actions. They crawled out of their boats and followed the gamekeeper, as he walked up a stone staircase. There at the top was an heavy oaken door, that so large that it must had been at least twice Hagrid's height. Hagrid turned and looked out to at all of them.

"All right. Everyone here?" He called out. He then brought up his enormous first and knocked three times on the door.

The doors swung open to reveal a tall witch, in vibrant green robes. She had a very strict air about her. Like she wouldn't tolerate any form of misbehavior. Or maybe her hair was pulled back too tightly.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall." Hagrid told her.

With the title of professor that meant she was a teacher here. And if Agena remembered correctly, she was the Deputy Headmistress. The second in command right after Dumbledore.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." She replied. The then disappeared though the door, the nearest students began to follow. Agena noticed that many of them tried to walk as far away as they could, when they passed Hagrid. Not that she could entirely blame them. How often do you come across somebody of his stature. But as Nymphadora told her. Hagrid was a good guy, and was someone you could depend on if you in a bit of a pinch.

So when she passed the towering man, she offered him a wave. At once he bent down closer to her level.

"Ah, Agena wasn't it?" He asked in a low voice.

"y-Yes Sir."

He chuckled slightly.

"No need to be callin' me sir. Jus' stick with Hagrid. You have a good trip here?"

"um, Yes si-Hagrid."

"Good, good. Well you run along now, it won't be long before the sortin' ceremony." he said with a wink of his shinny black eyes.

She scrambled to catch up with the others as the all stood together in a large chamber.

"Welcome to Hogwarts... ," Professor McGonagall started. She began to explain how Hogwarts worked there would he a sorting ceremony. She had to admit that she was very curious about how it was done, every one she had every asked about it would only smile, as if they were in on some big secret.

The teacher explained, in the great detail, the four houses of Hogwarts. And about a point system, that would determine the recipient of a house cup. She drew her speech to an end by saying.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." And she then disappeared behind another door.

Agena looked down upon herself, she felt that she was in good order. But looking at some of the other students around her, she could see that some of them really needed some sprucing up. Particularly this one redheaded boy, who despite his efforts to straighten out his shabby robes, seemed to be completely oblivious to the smudge of dirt on his nose. Next to him was another boy, who was a little shorter than her and very skinny. He was seemed to be trying to flatten his hair, bring some order to his messy black hair. But then something happened that caused Agena's breath to hitch.

He turned his head towards her. Behind his round rim glasses, were a pair of the most incredibly green eyes that she had ever seen. She found it quite difficult to look anywhere but there. But before he turned away from her she got a glimpse of a thin zigzagging scar that sat on the middle of his forehead. He went back to trying to rearranging his hair in such a way that it would cover up the mark.

It was him! The Boy-Who-Lived. Who else could it be? Everyone in their world knew about him. He was in all of the history books. At the age of one he survived the killing curse and defeated the most feared wizard of this century. And the only mark he had to show for it was a lightening bolt shaped scar on his forehead. It had to be him. No wizard would have the gall assume that boy's identity. Professor Dumbledore would never allow it. So it just had to be him. It had to be Harry Potter. Agena sudden felt the urge to apologize to him, for staring. But even more so because it would allow her to actually speak to him. To actually talk with Harry Potter.

But before she could say anything the back of the hall was filled with screams. She gasped at the sight. There were ghosts and lots of them. And despite fear that their sudden appearance. Yet few of those specters even seemed to even notice that the children that were gathered below them. But as they passed over head Agena could hear them having a debate amongst themselves.

It wasn't until the ghosts began to slip though the opposite wall. That Professor McGonagall returned.

"Now, form a line." She addressed them, "And follow me."

Agena cast an eye over to Harry Potter. A thought crawled into her head. That if she got in line next to him, she might be able to talk to him. But she stopped. But what _could_ she say to him? _How are you? Defeat any dark lords lately? _But she was saved the trouble when that one redheaded boy slipped in between them. And maybe it was for the best. She didn't need any distractions at the moment, as the all filed into the Great Hall. She looked around in amazement.

Professor McGonagall had led down right down the middle of the hall. The were two tables on either side of them. All four of them were lined with students, all of which seemed to be staring at them. Up ahead she could see a table that ran along the front of the chamber. Seated at that table were what she assumed was the school staff. And in the tallest chair at the middle of the table sat Professor Dumbledore.

She had never seen anything so spectacular in all her life. Above their head floated thousands of candles. The walls and pillars of the hall disappeared into a darkness that sparked with twinkle of starlight. She stared at the ceiling a little bit, before she came to the conclusion that it was just a glamour, a surface illusion. Nearby she heard that Hermione girl confirm her suspicion when she whispered, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in _Hogwarts, A History_."

As she brought her view back down she saw that Professor McGonagall was currently placing a very old and grubby looking wizard's hat on a stool. Agena noticed that all of the students at the tables had shifted their focus to the front of the hall, and to were the old cap sat.

Agena looked to it as well. But it really didn't look all that special. But Agena had learned a long time ago that somethings in this world were not always as they seemed. And in this case she wasn't going to be disappointed. The as unspectacular as it looked began, to move. And almost like someone waking from a nap, it stretched and wiggled, before the front of the old thing scrunched up into something that resembled a face. And as if it was the most natural thing in the world a tear near it's brim opened up like a mouth. And it that wasn't enough it began to sing.

"_Oh, you might not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find _

_a smarter hat than me... _

_...So put me on! Don't be Afraid!_

_And don't get in a Flap! _

_You're in safe hands _

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!" _

It was a rather lengthy poem. But very self exploratory as to the hat's purpose.

"So we've got to try on a hat," she overheard that redhead say to Harry. "I'll kill Fred, he kept going on and on about having to wrestle a troll."

Professor McGonagall stepped over to the side of the cap, with a long roll of parchment in her hands.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." she instructed, then after a brief glance at the scroll she held she called out the first name. "Abbott, Hanna!"

A blond girl ran up to the stool and placed the cap on her head. A moment after she had sat down on the stool the hat's mouth opened and it shouted "HUFFLEPUFF!"

The students at the table to the right of them broke into applause. The girl scurried over and the empty end of that table.

"Bones, Susan!" McGonagall then called.

Agena gave her a small nod as Susan passed her.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat responded after a few seconds.

Yet again the table to the right of them began to clap and cheer as Susan went to going them.

Agena took a deep breath, the list the were going by was alphabetical. Her name would be coming up soon.

Boot. Brocklehurst. Brown. Bulstrode. Calvin. Cook. Crabbe. By then she was starting to shake. She was just a few seconds away from becoming a full fledge Hogwarts student.

"Culverin, Agena" Professor McGonagall called. She walked forward, although with every step she took her feet felt heavier and heavier. Those fairies in her stomach were buzzing as hard as ever. But when she placed the hat on her head and sat upon the stool. The hat didn't call out a house, right away. Instead, in her back of her mind, she could hear a little voice speak.

"_Well. Well. Well,_ " it was the evaluating voice of the hat. "_I didn't think I would ever sit on the head of another. There is only one place I can send you, only one place you truly belong. Although the other houses would have been lucky to have you. You have a sharp mind there, and a very deep thirst for knowledge. And you have a great deal of courage as well._"

It's voice dropped off. And it grew silent again.

"A_s Sorting Hat, I must decide where all students must go. However there is one rule to which I must always abide. All heirs must return to their house._"

"SLYTHERIN!"

-

**Author's Note:** Another chapter revised. Hooray. Not too much was changed either, just a bit on the train and the words of the sorting hat. Next chapter will have a bit more tinkering done to it.


	5. Chapter 04 Year 1

**Agena**

**JErosion**

**Chapter 04 – The House of Salazar – Year 1**

Agena blinked slightly at the unfamiliar surroundings. It took her a moment before she could place exactly where she was. She was currently buried under several layers of warm blankets. The night before, she had only closed the curtain around her bed part of the way.

She stretched in her bed. As the events of the previous night came back to her.

-

The Sorting Hat had placed her in Slytherin. Not that she was entirely surprised it's choice. Her mother and both of her Aunts had gone to that house. But what the hat told her bothered her.

_'All heirs must return to their house.' _

That statement kept repeating in her head over and over again. And the way she looked at it, the Hat had basically implied that she was a descendant of Salazar Slytherin. At first she though of her mother, but she immediately discounted that. If she was, then all of the Blacks would have been in Slytherin. And she knew that wasn't the case. That left that it would have had to be her father.

She looked up the the head table and at Professor Dumbledore. She would have to ask him about that. But it wasn't something that she would be able to do tonight. It would have to wait for later.

She was so locked in her thoughts that she didn't pay much attention to the names that Professor McGonagall called out. Although some names did stand out more than others. That Granger girl got her wish and was sorted into Gryffindor. And Agena perked up a bit when when the Professor called out "Malfoy, Draco!"

Earlier she had been so enthralled with the sight of the castle and and the view she got of it's interior, that she didn't bother to look for him. Not that she really had a reason to. But that didn't matter too much as there was close to a hundred students gathered there. And just like Nymphadora said, he was the very image of his father. And when his name was called out, his face grew into an arrogant smirk. He swaggered up the the stool, like some muggle hooligan. The hat barely had the chance to settle on his head before it screamed out "Slytherin."

Agena noticed that as is did, the Hat scrunched itself up as if it was attempting to remove itself from Draco's head as quickly as possible. There was no telling what sort of nasty thoughts were in his head.

When McGonagall called out "Parkinson, Pansy!" Agena groaned internally. In all honesty she didn't expected to see her this year. Honestly she didn't even think that the girl would be attending until next year. But now she had to deal with her sticking her upturned nose into her business. And Pansy would report anything she did wrong to her mother, who in turn would use it so she could gloat over Aunt Andromeda.

After a few more names came and went. The Professor called out a name that she was very curious about. "Potter, Harry!"

Just as she had suspected, it was that pale skinny boy with the messy black hair. Like her, every other head in the hall was locked on him. And whispers broke out between every student. It was like the buzzing of insects. They fell silent the moment the hat settled over his head. The suspense was immeasurable, as the hat seemed to be taking it's time with him. And after a minute it shouted out its answer.

The table on the far left hand side of the hall erupted into a roar of clapping and cheers. Agena felt disappointment creep into her as the hat called out Gryffindor. She could see that she wasn't the only one at her table. Several of the older students slumped in there seats, as the Griffindor's claimed their victory.

After Potter was sorted, the rest went by with only a fraction of the fanfare. Once the last of new students were sorted. Professor Dumbledore gave a short speech and with a few odd words the golden plates in front of them were suddenly filled with all sorts of foods.

Agena began to pick through the food that was displayed before her. Some of the students at her table began to reseat themselves. Two rather burly boys that had been sitting near her. Had gotten up and moved over to were Draco sat.

Unfortunately that left a the chair in front of her open, allowing a girl with straight brown hair to sit there. She had a rather nasty expression on her face. Her nose had always had turned slightly upwards, but with the 'I am better than you' expression she wore, it made her nose look more like a pug's.

"Good Lord, I can't believe your in here." she sneered.

"Nice to see you too, Pansy." Agena replied, with equal insincerity. She put down her fork and the bit of pork chop she was about to eat.

"I always thought that Slytherin had standards. After all only purebloods should even be allowed in here."

Agena frowned. A few heads turned her way. Some faces bore frowns while others looked on with raised eyebrows.

"And what exactly would you know about my parentage?"

"That's it exactly. You don't even know. Anyone with a respectable lineage would know who their father was."

Agena was strongly considering pulling out her wand and cursing her. The only problem with that was she didn't know any curses. Although she was pretty sure that if she were to just flicked her wand at the brunette, something very nasty would happen to her. But that probably wouldn't be the best thing to do on your first day, nor would it advisable while in full view of all of the teachers.

In fact, this very conversation had ignited the augment that got their Floo connection cut off. Her Aunt had a sort of love-hate relationship with Pansy's mother. And the question of who her father was pushed them over towards the hate end of the spectrum. Because of the similar facial features, Pansy's mother assumed that Aunt Andromeda was lying when she claimed that she was the daughter of an old friend. The elder Parkison voiced her theory, and in a round about way, she implied that her Aunt was a slut for have an illegitimate child.

Aunt Andromeda simply smiled, and then set the woman's hair on fire.

"Listen, Parkinson! At the very worse I'm a half-blood. And I don't see how that would matter anyway."

"Are you dense or something? Blood means everything. But I shouldn't expect the daughter of a blood-traitor like you to understand."

"I wouldn't have been put in Slytherin, if I didn't belong here." Agena said, echoing some of the words that the Sorting Hat had whispered into her head.

"Only Pure-bloods belong in this house!" Pansy hissed bitterly.

"If I may." interjected an older student that was a few seats down. He was scrawny boy, that she would later learn was Terrance Higgs, the seeker of Slytherin Quidditch team. "I'm afraid that the Sortin' Hat isn't able to abide by the wishes our house's founder. Only about about a quarter of the students that are sorted every year are what you would call pure-bloods. And even then only about half of them are what you would call true prue-bloods. The rest are made of students of l_ower_ birth. Mostly students that are half-blood's to varying degrees. An' about once every few years or so,that hat sends us a mud-" he paused slightly, looking towards the front table, "_muggleborn_."

He said that last word with a notable degree of disdain.

"You mean they actually put that sort of riff-raff in here?"

"Unfortunately, even the new male Prefect this year is a half-blood." he nodded over to the end of the table. "Both his parents were muggleborn. Merlin only knows why the hell he got sent to us."

Agena noticed that an older boy that was talking to a ghost that had taken a seat next to cousin. Draco didn't look to pleased by the specter's presence. Not that she could blame him as the ghost had a rather wretched appearance. It's eyes were wild looking and it's face was horribly emaciated face.

"Who's the ghost?"

"That's the Bloody Baron. He is the Slytherin House ghost."

"hmmm, Draco doesn't look like he cares much for ghosts." Agena said offhandedly. She knew immediately that she shouldn't have said that. Especially with Pansy sittign right across from her. But all of this talk about blood was starting to get under her skin.

"Draco? Draco Malfoy?!" Pansy cried, with some disbelief. "What makes you think you can act so familiar with someone like him."

"Oh, please. Every one at this table is somebody's cousin. But in the case of Draco," she made a point to speak as quietly as she could," his mother and Andromeda happen to be sisters. So I think I know a few things more than you."

That statement had caused some pink to rise in Pansy's face. Granted Agena didn't know a damn thing about her cousin, but that was hardly common knowledge. Besides the name Malfoy carried tremendous respect. And Pansy was smart enough not to speak ill of anyone that had blood connection to that family. Of coarse that probably would last for only about a day or two. Once everyone got settled in it would become clear who knew who. But in the meantime it served to insure that Pansy would stay quiet for the time being, at least long enough so that she speak to and observe some of the other students.

Later once the feast had ended. Professor Dumbledore stood and said a few more words. He mentioned that the forest on the grounds were forbidden to all students. And that a no magic should be used between classes in the school corridors. Quidditch try outs would take place at the end of next week. And lastly there was a warning that the third floor corridor on the ride-hand side of the school was also out of bounds, not that she had any idea of were that hallway was.

Afterward they began making their way to their dorms. That half-blood student that Higgs had pointed out, stood up.

"Alright! All you first years, follow me!" he called. He had a rather rough look, and his eyes in particular had weary look to them. Like he hadn't slept in several days. On his robes was a small silver badge that had a snake and the letter "P" on it.

They walked single file into very large hall that was crisscrossed with a great number of staircases.

"This is the main stair well. From this chamber you will be able to access most of floors of this castle. There are over a hundred additional staircases in this castle. Many will offer you a quicker path through the school. That door over there," the Prefect pointed to a door that was half way up the room. "leads to the off limits corridor. You would do well to remember what the headmaster said, when he gives out warnings about avoid certain places, it is not without good reason. So pay attention to everything around you. It can be very easy to get lost around here. The stairways that go one way one day will take you someplace else the next. Some doors will open to brick walls, others won't open unless you do certain things. And even some rooms are only accessible on certain days. So be careful, this castle is constantly changing, entire classrooms and hallways have been known to suddenly vanish or appear out of nowhere. But don't worry, rooms don't disappear when people are in them. Well... they usually don't."

Agena cast a look up at the door that led into the forbidden corridor. But she didn't have long before she was being herded down a set of stairs towards the lower levels. They entered an area that could only be described as a dungeon. The further they went, the colder and more damp the air became. There were even spots were water had collect between the the cracks in the flagstone floor. Eventually they in front of a bare stretch of wall.

"Now look at this wall. Do any of you see how it is different from all the others we have passed," their guide asked them. It took Agena a moment to see it. But this particular wall was completely bare.

"There's no torch holder here!" Agena blurted out. She felt a bit of embarrassment as she had spoken a little louder than she would have like to have. She could feel the eyes of the other first years upon her.

"Correct," the Prefect said, with a nod and a smirk. "It's one of the few walls down here that doesn't have something on it."

He then turned and faced the wall and in a clear voice he said the word. "_Ophiuchus_." And immediately after, a section of the wall opened up like a door. The first years followed him as he led them into the Slytherin common room.

Agena found herself walking into a long rectangular room. The walls and ceiling were made from a rough stonework, that gave the chamber a scale like appearance. Hanging, by black chains, from the ceiling were glass bowls of a greenish color. The magical fires inside them gave off an odd watery light. On the far left side of the common room was an intricate fireplace, which was already lit with a warm fire. Above the fireplace was a large portrait of a handsome and rather clever-looking wizard. On the opposite end of the hall was a pair of doorways.

"First years you will find your room assignments posted on the bulletin boards. Your luggage has already been moved there. Each of you will be sharing a room with a roommate. After your fifth year, you will get your own room. The boys dormitory is on the right and the girls is through the left."

The bullet board was on the wall immediately to the right of the door they had all come though. She had to stand on her tip toes to see past a group of older students that had pushed their way in front her. The names on the board where arranged by year and alphabetically. Luckily her name was near the top of parchment that was tacked on the board.

_Girls Dormitory Cell 8._

With all the people pushing their way to the front she didn't really have chance to see who they had paired her off with. Left with little choice she made her way towards the left-hand door and then up a shirt set of stairs to search for her room.

-

Now that she thought about it '_Cell_' seemed like an appropriate description.

And the room was completely symmetrical, mirroring it's accommodations for both of it's occupants. And despite being very utilitarian, it was quite cozy. Immediately on both the right and the left as soon as you came though the door were a pair of clothes cabinets. That was followed by a pair small desks, complete with chairs. After that there was a small blank area, where both her and her roommate's luggage had been placed. Right above their trunks, on both walls, were a pair of lamps made out of the same greenish glass as the lanterns that hung in the common room. Finally there was their beds. They were recessed into the wall, and had a heavy greens curtains for privacy. The mattresses were quite comfortable and their beds also came with several blankets to combat the cold air of the dungeons.

Agena pulled aside her beds curtain, and brought her feet around to the floor as she sat up in her bed. She noticed for the first time that her room had a window. It was small and round and set high almost up at the ceiling. The glass itself was either very dirty or frosted over, since it only allowed light to pass though it.

There was a mumble and a thumb from the bed that was across from her. A moment later a hand appeared from behind curtain pulled is aside.

"_Goooood morning_." came the light and sleepy voice of her roommate.

Agena smiled, as the girl stretched. This was Daphne Greengrass. While she had never met any of the Greengrasses before. But she knew of them. Of coarse that was only what she had overheard from both her Aunt and Pansy's mother.

They were a particularly colorful family. Her grandfather, Hadrian Greengrass, had worked for many years at the Ministry of Magic. More precisely he worked in the Department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. And according to his granddaughter, he had been raising, until quiet recently, a herd of Diomedes Horses. He decided to give it up and go into retirement, after one of his mares had kicked him unconscious. And due to the carnivorous nature of their breed, it tried to eat him. Daphne said he was now missing a few fingers on his left hand.

However Hadrian Greengrass was famous, or perhaps infamous for other things. In his younger days, had been a rather 'prolific' man. According to her Aunt Andromeda, he had trouble "_keeping his wand in his robes_." When she first heard that statement, it had caused Agena a bit of confusion. After all when your eleven years old, certain euphemisms didn't click right away.

Hadrian Greengrass had six children, three by his wife, one by another wizard's wife and the others were through two different muggle women. As a result Daphne had a large and very interesting family. One of her half-blooded uncles for instance, had gained a bit of notoriety for magically modifying a muggle weapon called a _Rifle_, and then then used it to hunting Nundu in Africa.

In fact several members of her family had followed their patriarch's example, by seeking careers in animal husbandry. Daphne had an older sister and a cousin who were both studying dragons at the reserve in Romania. Her father was currently in Greece, working with an international consortium of wizards who were studying, the behavior and speech capabilities of Manticores.

Agena wasn't sure how she felt about Daphne though. The way she talked and carried herself, she kind of came off as being a dumb and bubbly girl. She had large and almost feline shaped eyes. But in all honestly, Agena thought she was pretty, maybe a little bit on the chunky side. But who knew how long that would last. Aside from the philandering of her grandfather, and the careers they sought, the Greengrass were known for one other thing, their women. They were sought after and envied for their endowments.

But Daphne was more than just some giggly girl. She seemed to be strangely intuitive. During the feast and later when they had talked before they went to sleep, she noticed that Daphne had a tendency to finish other peoples sentences. And during one instance Daphne had actually answered a question, before Agena could even ask it. In retrospect it to be somewhat creepy. Although Daphne didn't even seem to notice that she had done it.

"Morning Daphne." Agena, she giggled slightly as her roommate tumbled out of her bed, and onto the floor. Daphne jumped back up with a squeal.

"It's cold!"

She hopped from one foot to the other on stone floor. Eventually she fell back into the warm comforts of her bed.

"Oh, come on it's not that bad," Agena laughed. She didn't really mind the cold. Though she might change her mind once winter took hold of the castle. She'd might have to write to her Aunt and ask for her to send a rug or something. And speaking of which. She needed to write a letter to send to her family. After that it would be just a manner of finding where the Owlery was.

From the halls came the sound of people laughing and running. But then came a knock and the door opened wide. Standing in the doorway was a very tall and slender girl. She had a little silver badge pinned to her robes.

"Good, your both up," She said in raspy voice. "Get yourselves dressed and to the common room, the head of our house will be giving out your class schedules, before breakfast."

Both of them gathered up their clothes and ran to the bathrooms.

-

When both arrived in the common room, they found a large group of students were crowded around the large coffee table that was in the center of the chamber. Most of the students were first years like her. A majority of them were crammed onto a pair of dark green couches. A couple of others had to stand or sit on the floor. Pansy was already there and was fortunate to arrive early enough to have gained a seat on the armrest of one of the couches. Draco on the other had was looking rather smug, he had managed to secure an armchair all to himself. Most like with the help of two large and rather troll like boys that were standing on both sides of him with their arms crossed. Agena knew one of them was named Crabbe but she was a little fuzzy on name of the other.

One thing was out of place though. Sitting in a high backed chair was a man dress in black robes. He had a large hooked nose, and long oily hair. Agena had seen the man sitting at the head table during the start of term feast. Other than Professor Dumbledore and that stern looking witch, who called out their names, she didn't pay much to the other teachers.

But now that she had a good look at him, she found herself feeling a little queasy. He looked like the kind of man that was no stranger to the dark arts. But at the same time... He looked sort of sad. Like a man who had lost everything in his life... twice over.

He said nothing as they walked up, so they followed the led of the others who had arrived before them, they stood quietly and waited for whatever was going to happen. A couple of older students came in to the common room from the dorms. They walked straight to the professor. Some of them greeted him with a 'good morning' or some other short greeting. He didn't always respond in kind. She noticed that with some students he gave them a nod or acknowledged them by their family name, others he didn't respond to at all. But no matter what his greeting was, he would hand them a sheet of paper from one of the seven stacks that were on the table in front of him. Afterwards those students went to the entry way of the common room and disappeared out into the dungeons outside.

Agena then saw that there were several older students that were standing along that wall watching all of them. She saw the tall girl who had come to wake them up, as well as that half-blooded boy that showed him the way down here the night before. There were a couple of others there too, all of them wore Prefect badges.

After a few more of few more joined the group. The man in black robes stood up from his chair.

"For those of you who do not know me, I am Professor Severus Snape. In addition to being the head of Slytherin House, I also serve as Hogwart's Potion Master." He spoke in a soft, yet commanding voice. " I am very pleased that this year we have been graced with the presence of so many from most exemplary of families. Bulstrode. Kalvin. Parkinson. Goyle. Malfoy..."

The Professor head scanned the whole room starting with those on his left. He only called the names of those from the oldest of wizarding families. Each name he puctuated with a solid nod. However when he came to Draco and his friends, the corners of his mouth turned upwards in the slightest of smiles. Draco looked very pleased at the acknowledgment.

Professor Snape continued to his scan of the room calling out the names for those he felt were most noteworthy. However felt a bit of panic as his cold black eyes fell upon her. He paused in his scrutiny of the class. And suddenly she was reminded of that look that Mr. Olivander gave her. There was recognition and then the slightest hint of confusion. His pause didn't go unnoticed by some of the other students. A few of them had turned to both her and Daphne.

Fortunately he looked away from her, and continued his trek around the room calling off the names of those from. He did not call out her name nor did he say Daphne's. He called out. Lanstrom. Nott. Tooke. Unfortunately she was still the target of several curious stares. Particularly from both Pansy and Draco.

"The names I called out," the Professor said, regaining the attention of those assembled, "are those from families that have served Slytherin with the utmost distinction. The rest of you, I trust, will not disappoint me. I expect the very best from _all_ of you. Slytherin has claimed the House Cup for the past six years. And I would be most put off if some first year became directly responsible for it being removed from my office.

"All of you are Slytherin. And I expect you to act like it. Your intelligence and cunning will get you praise and earn points for your house. And for any rule breaking you commit, I suggest you utilize that intelligence and cunning of yours not to get caught."

Agena could say that she wasn't expecting to hear that. Most teachers wouldn't say such a thing. And in her opinion it made him a far more intelligent man. He recognized that some things were beyond his control. That wasn't a quality that you found in many adults.

After that they all lined up to receive their schedules from the Professor. She wanted to get out of the room as quickly as she could. Mostly because she didn't like that look on Pansy's face. She had questions on her mind, and Agena wasn't too keen on answering anything right now.

By the time she reached the table she was trying to look everywhere, other than where her Potions Teacher sat. She wished to avoid any possible probing or questions he might throw at her. So with a nervous hand she reached out to take her class schedule the he held out. But then he then did something that caused her insides to twist up. He didn't release her schedule when she tried to take it.

This unexpected act caused her to fully face him.

"You are... Agena Culverin. Correct?" he asked in a low voice. Once again she found herself once again under the man's cold gaze.

"um, I... uh, yes sir." she replied nervously. She didn't like this. People were staring at her. And even worst Draco was still in the room.

"Tell me child. Who is your mother?" He asked leaning in.

"I... I don't... I've never... I was raised by my..." her mind was all over the place. She didn't want to reveal to much about herself. "... I was raised by a witch named Andromeda Tonks."

"Tonks?" he repeated. He released her schedule to her and brought his had up to his chin. He knew that name, for that she was certain. After a second he waved her off. She ran over to Daphne, who had waiting near the door along with a few other students. Agena was certain that he watched her as she ran away.

"I'm starting to get a little dizzy, I'll go ahead and take this group up to breakfast," said one of the Prefects, it was the girl who had come by to wake them earlier that morning. She spoke to a couple of the others that were waiting to do the same thing. She then turned to them and said, "Come on you lot. I'll be showing you a quicker way to get to the Great Hall."

Their group followed with a bit of enthusiasm. After taking a few twists and turns in through the dungeon, they started to ascend a wide staircase.

"So what was that all about?" Daphne asked her.

Agena replied the only way she could.

"I really don't know."

**Author's Note:** It's fixed yeah. The start on chapter 5 soon. I'm a little hesitant to say when it will be out, since it took me forever just to sit down and revise this. Some of you will wonder how will Agena effect the story line. She'll make her friends and find her place in Hogwarts. Before she interferes in the storyline.


	6. Chapter 05 Year 1

**Agena**

**JErosion**

**Chapter 05 – It's not easy being green – Year 1**

* * *

Hogwarts wasn't exactly what Agena though it would be.

For one, she was in no way prepared for the amount of politics that took place within her own house. She had to wonder if any of the other students outside of Slytherin, had to put up with this. The head of her house, Professor Snape, wasn't helping either. He seemed to have _favorites_ in every grade level. Most of them came from old, well-to-do, purebred families. But in someways it went a little further than that. Because amongst those favorites, there were others that seemed _connected_. Like they were apart of some sort of elite club.

It didn't really seem all that fair. If she wasn't mistaken Salazar Slytherin had prided several things in his pupils. There was purity of blood, but he also sought those of intelligence, and great cunning. But after taking a good look at some of her house mates, she had to wonder how they were ever got sorted into Slytherin in the first place. There were a lot of students that were just like those two gorillas that followed Draco everywhere. They may have been pure-blooded, but that was just about the only thing that they seemed to have going for them.

Some of these kids, were walking proof that this pure-blood mania that had galvanized so many wizarding families, had done far more damage than it had good. How could it be justified, when each generation grew uglier and more stupid. And they called people like her Aunt a blood-traitor. If any one was betraying their bloodlines it was those that kept intermarrying the same families over and over again.

Agena shook her head. Maybe she was being a little bitter. It was just that she didn't see why Professor Snape thought so fondly of them. Or maybe it was because her cousin, Draco Malfoy. It was like he was Professor Snape's star pupil. And the worst thing about it was that the bugger knew it too. She had already seen him, along with his two bodyguards, pushing around some of the other first years.

There was one boy who already gone to Professor Snape to complain how Draco taken a book of his. But the Professor just turned him away, telling the boy in an angry voice, that if he couldn't handle his own affairs he should write his parents and beg them to allow him to be tutored at home. Snape then went on to say that unless it was something life threating he didn't want to hear about it. Fortunately for the boy a Prefect intervened and forced Draco to return the property. Agena couldn't help but feel as if the whole situation was a bit unfair.

Especially at moments like now. She had come up to the great hall for breakfast. She was joined by her roommate, Daphne Greengrass. Daphne was becoming the closest thing she had to a friend here. Well as least in her house. Granted she knew other, people that were sorted into the other houses, but they were little more than passing acquaintances.

But it was different with Daphne. Her mannerism, gave her a certain infectious quality. And in many ways she was a lot like Nymphadora. She was a little awkward and clumsy, but she also had a talent for making her laugh. Whether it be the things she said or some of the goofy things that she did. In the end she could have done a lot worse.

Agena had hoped breakfast would be quick and quiet, because there was no telling how long it was going to take them to find their Transfiguration class. But notion of having a quick and quiet breakfast was shattered when her cousin had plopped himself down directly in front of her. He was flanked on both sides by those two surly looking boys that followed him everywhere. Pansy was in tow also. She sat down on nearby as well. She leaned in with that disgusting smirk of hers.

"Your name is Culverin, right?"

"Yeah." Agena responded, setting silverware down on the edge of her plate.

"I've heard a few things about you."

"Oh?" Agena looked towards Pansy, who gave her a single wave of her hand. She was also looking particularly smug at that moment.

"From what I hear," Draco said in his long drawl, that regain her attention, "You were raised by a Tonks."

Agena's hands balled up into tight fists.

"Yes, I was? What of it?"

He smirked.

"I was just wondering, how my dear _misguided_ Aunt was. I don't get to see her all that often. My parents don't really speak about her that much, ever since she started to consort with the wrong kind of people. A real shame. And she couldn't even marry a proper wizard..."

If his goal was to provoke a reaction from her, he was going a bang up job of it.

"And does all this have a point? Or do you just like to hear yourself talk."

He smirked again.

"Well. I just thought I would come over and make some conversation. You know a little friendly chitchat. Because I'd like to clarify a few things."

Agena's eyes darted over to the smug look on Pansy's face. Great, she's been talking.

"Like what." Agena said quietly, traces of anger were starting to creep into her voice.

"I can see a resemblance."

Agena paled. That was a great feat in of itself considering her complexion. But this was one of those things that she wanted to avoid. She needed to shut him up. She didn't want anyone to know who her mother was. Next to her she could could hear Daphne mutter her name. She could also feel her lightly tug at her sleeve in an effort to get her attention.

But Agena ignored her. She couldn't allow herself to become distracted. Because right now she was fighting the urge to plant her fist into Draco's pointed face. However she couldn't do that. Slytherin politics being what they were. Especially with Professor Snape watching over him. After all what did she have at this point? It would probably be a month before any of her teachers would recognize her without having to check there attendance sheets.

"So?" Draco kept talking," Is Culverin your really you father's name or did somebody just make it up?"

"You need to shut your _mouth!_"

That last word came out in a hiss. And for a frightening moment she wasn't sure if she had said it in her normal voice or involuntarily switched to Parsel tongue. Her uncertainly in this was helped by the queer look that took hold of Draco's face. His eye's narrowed and his nose scrunched up like something fowl had been passed beneath it.

"I don't think I _need_ to do anything. In fact I think..."

"Well I _think,_ its about time for you four need to move further on down the table." came a low and gruff voice.

Draco jumped, as did his comrades. Pansy almost lost her balance and fell off of the bench she was perched on. Towering behind them was an older boy. In fact it was the Prefect that had shown all of them the way to the Slytherin dorms. And it was the same one who had help that one boy get his book back from Draco.

It took a moment for Draco to regain his bearing. But it wasn't long before his face returned to that scowl her wore just seconds before.

"Oh, It's you again." he sneered. "What makes you think you can tell me what to do."

"Yeah, it is me," the older boy leaned in speaking quietly. He jerked his thumb at the shiny badge that was pinned to his chest. "And in case you forgot, this little trinket right here gives me every right. Second of all. We don't have these _conversations_ in the Great Hall. If you gotta start slinging shite over parentage, I suggest you save it for when the lot of you are in the common room, and not when your within hearing distance of a the _Hufflepuff Table!_"

He raised his voice in emphasis, being loud enough to causing a few of the Hufflepuffs, who apparently were eavesdropping on on Draco's 'conversation', to jump. Not that they really had to strain to hear the what the little snot was saying, since he had made no effort to be discrete.

"You might have the Professor looking out for you. But do keep in mind, that I am looking out for Slytherin as a whole, so I'm not gonna sit backy and let some first year bring embarrassment to our house. And another thing," The older boy spat. "That girl across from you is probably about a few seconds away from putting you in the hospital wing. Since your too shortsighted to notice, she has been taking her anger out on the flatware. So I recommend you move on down, before you find yourself in a similar position."

Agena blinked a bit, taking in the Prefect's words. Her eye's dropped down to her plate. The fork and the knife that she had set down on the edge of her plate were warped. It was as if they had been heated up to a high enough of a temperature, that they melted to the contours of the plate and the table. But it wasn't just her utensils. Along the middle of the table were stoneware vases that had held the forks, spoons and knives that they would use during breakfast. But in the vase that was closest to her, all of the cutlery that was in it were wilted over like dead flowers.

Daphne gave her sleeve another tug. In her hand was a fork that was bent over like a u-bolt. She let out a short and uneasy laugh. Across from them a touch of worry crept into her cousin's face. Even Pansy looked a little uncomfortable.

"Now!," the Prefect clapped his hands together, once again causing those he was in back of to jump. "Move on down."

The two larger boys went to move immediately. Draco's lingered on the damaged cutlery before he turned them back to Agena.

"Go on." the older boy ordered, he had his arms crossed as waited for the boy to move on.

Eventually Draco face crinkled into a scowl as he moved to comply to what the older boy said. Pansy trailed after them. Once he and his friends had found seats further down the table, the Prefect sat down , filling up the spot that Draco had occupied just moments before.

"Good morning there." He addressed the two of them, his voice raised up to a merrier tone, as if nothing had happened. Agena took a glance over at Daphne, but she could only offer her a shrug.

"Well, I see your already making friends." Another student came up from further down the table and sat down next to the boy. It was Annette Yaxley. She was the tall and skinny blond girl that had escoted them back to the Great Hall, on at there first morning.

"Well you know me," the boy said,"I can't resist talking to snotty little rich kids, that gloating about their heritage. No offense to you, of course."

"Of coarse. But you better be careful about that one Hollis."

"Maybe. But I'm not gonna kiss his arse just because everyone else does. He needs to learn that if he wants respect, he'll have to earn it... or buy it just like his father did."

"Hollis!"

The boy smirked. He then turned his grin on Agena.

"Now what are we going to do about you?"

"uh, m-Me?"

"Yes, you. You let him get to you and you let your magic get away from you. In this school that's not considered acceptable behavior, no matter what year you are in."

"b-But he was..."

He cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"Listen... Culverin, right? I know what he was doing. There is always going to be a someone who thinks he can do whatever the hell he wants. And theres not a damn thing that can be done about it. And if you go to a teacher about it, you'll only make things worse. However you can't just let people like him walk all over you. And your not going to do that by telling them to 'shut up' or by yelling at them to leave you alone. The only thing people like Malfoy understand is power."

"But... um,... What are you saying?" Agena asked a little confused. Was he telling her to fight him?

"That's what I'd like to know." Annette added, looking at her fellow Prefect skeptically.

"It's all about your spell work. Since this is only your first week, I reckon that ole Flitwick and McGonagall will probably just go over Magical Theory and proper wand use. But what you have to watch out for, is that kids like Malfoy always show up to the school knowing a couple of jinxes and curses. At this point they might might not be able to do much with them. But in a month or so he gonna start waving that wand of his around. And unless your ready for it, you could very well wind up as his target."

At that he reached into his robes and pulled out a scrap of parchment and a little bottle of a blueish liquid. He then withdrew a thin wooden stick that had an odd looking bit of metal on it's end. Agena watched with a bit of curiosity as he unscrewed the top of the bottle and dipped the metal end into it. It was a calligraphy pen. Agena could recall seeing a few of them in a dusty section of a quill and parchment shop in Diagon Ally.

Despite their innovation they weren't commonly used in their world. First, they tended to be costly when compared to feather quills. Second, they were a muggle invention. There were probably hundreds of other useful contraptions, that would never take hold in their world merely for the fact that they conceived by muggles.

With perhaps the exception of the camera, it could take decades before something of muggle origins would become adopted by witches and wizards. Especially with the older generations. Agena inwardly cringed at the fact that there were so many older wizards who had never even heard of the concept of wearing undergarments beneath their robes.

"Here. When you get a chance, go and look for these books in the library." he said as passed her a short list of names he had scribbled out on the paper. Daphne leaned in to take a look herself.

"Counter-curses?"

"Yep," he nodded. "If your looking to get ahead, it's the best place to start. But since you are a first year, Madame Pince won't let you leave the library with anything containing offensive spells in them. But for purpose of defense she'll let you check those out. And besides, with those particular titles, they list specifically what to look for in the event that you are cursed or jinxed so you can quickly identify the proper counter-curse to use. And if a student was particularly bright he or she could easily deduce just how to cast those spells in the first place.

"Besides anyone can learn how to cast a curse or jinx, but a good wizard or witch, will know how to undo them."

"But... why are you doing this?"

He just shrugged. However the girl next to him, chose to speak up and answer the question for him.

"Well your would be benefactor, didn't have a lot of friends during his first and second years. In fact he was bullied a lot as well."

"That I was." he agreed, he wore an expression of mock sadness.

"And after a certain point he got tired of it all and started to fight back." she continued. "Come to think of it, you still didn't make any friends."

"And all this time I thought you were my friend."

"Well that's what you get for being delusional."

"Really? Well I guess, I'll be seeing you at lunch then." He flashed her a wide smile that exposed deep dimples on both sides of his mouth.

Annette looked away, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. She then got up and moved back up the table to where some of her friends sat. Hollis followed her with his eyes, his grin only fading slightly as she walked away.

"Well, you two best finish eating, so you can get to class." he said while taking one of the crooked forks from the vase to bend it back to it's usual shape. "Oh don't worry about the silverware. The house elves will straighten them all out in time for lunch."

Agena tried to eat. But after dealing with Draco and his lot she wasn't feeling too hungry.

"um," she started hesitantly, "Thank you for helping me."

He nodded as he chewed on a mouthful of pancake.

"Just... keep one more thing in mind. There are some spells that some folks could never cast, just because they don't have the power to. But whether or not your magic is strong enough. All the wand movements and proper words aren't going to get anywhere unless you _believe_ you can do it."

Agena waited for Daphne to finish her meal, before the both of them left for their class. She tried her best to ignore both Pansy and Draco as she passed them. Neither of them would probably do or say anything. Well at least not when they were in hearing range of Hollis. But at least some one of the prefects were doing something. Well that wasn't entirely true. Annette was nice and did take the time to listen to them if they needed help finding something. But the sixth and seventh year ones seemed more apathetic to them.

She looked down into her hand, and at the peice of parchment that Hollis had given her. Sadly Hollis had a point, people like Draco only understood one thing, power. And she wasn't about to let herself become somebodies punching bag. Once they were clear of the Great Hall, she turned to her roommate.

"What did you think about all of that?"

"Well," the brunette began, "He's not that good looking, but I can see why she likes him."

"huh?"

"He's kind of funny, and willing to stand up for people. Not to mention those dimples,"

"Wait! What are you talking about?"

"Annette Yaxley. It's obvious that she likes him. Since he's a half-blood, her parents probably never approve. Which only makes her like him even more."

"Whoa! Stop! That wasn't what I meant." Agena cried with a wave of her arms.

"Yeah, I know you didn't. I just wanted to say those things." Daphne smiled, and her pale green eyes sparked mischievously.

Agena just shook her head. She had to fight to keep a smile from growing on her face. It was a fight that she was losing.

"Are you going to look for those books?"

"I think I will." Agena replied, taking a look at the titles written on the parchment again.

"After transfiguration then?"

Agena just nodded in reply.

-

Professor McGonagall started the class by lecturing them on how Transfiguration was one of the most complicated and most dangerous kinds of magic that they would learn, while they where at Hogwarts.

She then wowed the entire class when she transformed into a nearby stool into a young deer. The new transformed deer looked up at the class in a startled manner, before it tried to bolt out of the room. But with a quick wave of her wand, McGonagall transformed the skittish animal back into a piece of furniture.

They then spent the first half of the class, copying some very long winded notes dealing with matter conversion, and mass expansion and contraction. It would have made just as much sense if it had been written in Gobbledegook. The Professor then passed along a box that was full of matches and instructed them to each take a few of them.

"Now take several of them." Professor McGonagall instructed. "You are going to turn these matches into sewing needles. This is a rather simple exercise, since both of the beginning object and the end result are of similar shape and mass. Now I want you to repeat after me. _Ferronēre."_

"_Ferronēre_," The class all repeated the word.

"Again."

"_Ferronēre_" they repeated again. Although Agena noticed that several of the students on her side of the classroom didn't. On the other side of the room the Hufflepuffs were far more enthusiastic about the whole thing. So much so that the volume of their repetition was more than loud enough to cover for the lack of participation on her side of the room.

"Now you will want to picture a needle in your needle as you say the words. " The Professor then demonstrated the spell on a match she held in her hand. And moment she said the words a clear vapor seemed to issue from her wand and then the match changed into a large and very shinny needle. "Now class, you try."

After that, the class room was filled with the mutterings of students as they tried to turn their matches into needles.

"Ferronēre," Agena said towards her match. But nothing happen. When she tried a second time the tip of her wand emitted a slight wisp like the Professor's wand had. But it had just about the same effect as a puff of air. Because all the match did was spin slightly.

She looked over at Daphne as she tried. But like her, Daphne wasn't making any headway either. In fact she felt a moment of relief when, she looked out across the room and saw that nobody else seemed to have been able to transform their match as they were instructed. Across the room she saw Susan Bones's face scrunched up in concentration. And unlike the Professor, Susan's wand was emitted a pink light. Another student, on the Hufflepuff side, manage to cause his match to ignite into a bright yellow flame.

Over on her side of the classroom it was much of the same. The wand of one of Malfoy's friends had actually started to produce what looked like a jet of white smoke.

While they all made their attempts Professor McGonagall had been walking in between their tables watching their progress or lack thereof. And unfortunately for Agena, her teacher just happen to noticed that she was putting more effort into observing the work of her classmates, rather than trying to do her assignment.

"Ms. Culverin," The Professor called out, walking up behind her. Agena jumped in her in her seat. "Your match isn't going to change itself. "

She could feel the heat rise up in her face. A few seats ahead of her Pansy turned her head back towards her an snickered. Agena looked down at one of her matches and readied her wand. She didn't want to look like a fool.

_I can do this. I can do this. I can do it._ She repeated to herself in her head. Then she thought about what Hollis had told her earlier that morning. Wand movements and the right words weren't enough, sometimes you had to _know_ you could do it. She took a deep breath as she tried to picture the match turning into a needle in her head.

"Ferronēre," she said. Like before her wand emitted a translucent wisp. But unlike her previous tries the match wiggled and, much to her surprise, it made a slight ringing sound as it thinned out into a steel needle.

Next to her she could hear a soft "whoa" from Daphne.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward and picked up the needle. Her thin eyebrows where raised up in high arcs. She used her fingers, to test the needle's strength. It did not bend or break.

"Please. Try it again." The Professor gestured towards her pile of remaining matches. She noticed a strange quality in the woman's eyes, that she couldn't readily identify. But Agena did spot what could have been the beginnings of a smile tugging up at the corners of her teacher's mouth.

"Ferronēre" she recited the words. Like before, Agena pictured the match turning into a needle. And just like before her wands issued a clear wisp of energy, and the match obeyed her command. It had transformed into a long sewing needle identical to the one she had transfigured before.

"Excellent Ms. Culverin! Five points to Slytherin." McGonagall announced to the entire class. She held up the match for everyone to see.

Agena felt her face go red again. Every head in the class was turned her way. She had never liked being the center of attention. It just made her feel uncomfortable. Although, she did find some satisfaction in seeing that smirk disappear off of Pansy's face. After a few more words of praise, Professor McGonagall instructed the rest of the class to resume their work.

As the rest of the class tried to replicate her efforts. Agena began to play with her remaining matches. The first two needles she had transfigured were both the same size. For her third attempt she pictured a smaller needle in her head. And like the image in her head, the match turned into small, and thinner needle than the ones she made before. With her remaining match she pictured...

Well she wasn't sure why, but she started to picture a knitting needle. Granted it wasn't what the exercise called for, but it was still a needle.

"Ferronēre," But it didn't change. So she concentrated and tried again.

"_Ferronēre_," she repeated a little loader. The match spun around, but it didn't change.

A third time did nothing as well. Agena began to tap her fingers against her desk. She started to think that maybe she couldn't do it. Maybe she needed a different incantation to change the match into a knitting needle. But in theory it should have worked. The way that Professor McGonagall had explained it, shouldn't need a new spell. '_Ferro_' would designate the type of material that was desired, in this case steel. And '_nēre_' should help give rounded or twisted object.

She didn't know why this was even bothering her so much. She proved that she could change a match into a needle. There was no need to go any further, but... But she wanted to. It was odd, but she wanted to see just how far she could take it. Because if she she could manage a knitting needle, then surely she could go a little further. She could turn a match into nail and then even into larger objects. If the Professor could turn a wooden stool into a living, breathing creature, then she could turn a little match into a railroad spike... Ok, she was probably getting ahead of herself.

She probably needed to forget the whole thing and do something a little more constructive, like trying to help her roommate out. A quick glance at Daphne revealed her scratching her head. She had made some progress. The edges of her first match had become rounded off and it had thinned a little. But there was no change in it's composition or color.

Agena looked back at her last match. She still wanted to try.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She pictured the match in her head once more, and then imagined it twisting and stretching into a long needle. She slowly she reopened her eyes and then prodded her wand forward. The match spun around and then hopped into the air.

When it came down, it made a clanking sound. But it wasn't quite what she had picture. It's surface was dull and unpolished, like the surface of a nail. And there was a bit on one end that was an orangy-brown with the presence of rust.

"You didn't say it."

"Huh?"

"You didn't say it." Daphne repeated in a whisper. She had a funny look on her face.

"What do you mean?" Agena asked back quietly, not sure what the girl meant.

"You didn't say the spell."

"Sure I did."

"No," Daphne said shaking her head slightly. "I was watching. You just flicked your wand and it changed."

"But that's..." Did she? She looked hard at the piece of metal that was laying in front of her. Really she couldn't remember if she had said it or not.

"Well whatever it is that you are doing, help me out."

"um, A-alright."

However Agena wouldn't have much time to offer any advice. The professor stopped the class.

"For all of you who haven't made any progress, you are to read chapters one and two of your text books. We will resume this class on Saturday." The Professor instructed, she then waved her wand at the blackboard, the complex notes shifted until they said what the homework assignment was. A moment later the end-of-class bell rang.

If she understood that right, that meant that she didn't have any homework. If anything that was more of an reward than the praise of a teacher was. At least it was one that she was more comfortable receiving. Like her classmates she began to gather up her books and other belongings.

"Ms. Culverin." Agena looked up towards her teacher. "Please come up to my desk, and do bring those needles up with you."

Daphne gave her an inquisitive, but Agena could only offer her a shrug. She approached the Professor's desk carefully holding the needles she had made. But as she stood in front of the desk, Professor McGonagall remained silent. It wasn't until the room had cleared out that she had said anything.

"Tell me Ms. Culverin. Have you had any tutors or lessons prior to entering Hogwarts?"

"No ma'am."

"None at all?"

Agena shook her head. The then Professor reached out and took the needles out of her hands. She examined each one. She seemed to look at the knitting needle longer than the others.

"A knitting needle?" the Professor guessed. Again Agena nodded. "What made you do that?"

"um, I just wanted... I just wanted to see how far I could take the spell."

"Magic can accomplish almost anything," she nodded. "But I admit that I am surprised to see someone as young as you do so well."

A ghost of a smile appeared on the woman's face. It was something that greatly softened her severe features. She then dismissed her. Walking out into the hall, she found that Daphne was waiting for her.

"What was that all about?" Daphne asked.

"I'm not sure."

"We have History of Magic next. Were you going to go to the Library before hand?"

Agena though a moment before deciding.

"The sooner I get these books the better."

"If you help me with the Transfiguration thing, I'll help you with your curses and counter-curses."

"You sure you want do that?"

"That will probably depend on which spells you start casting on me, but as long you can sort me out afterwards I won't have a problem."

And with that they both headed off towards the library.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Please review I need to know if I'm doing this right or not. I know that there are a lot of "The Dark Lord's Daughter" fics out there. But I trying to do my best to develop her character. Which is one of the reasons why she has yet to meet Harry. Also I hope I haven't made her too powerful. Given how formidable both of her parents are. I figured I could make her a little formidable herself.

This took me longer to get out than I thought it would. The holidays were more draining than I could ever anticipate, so it may take me a while to get back into the swing of things. When I did my revisions I rewrote my author's notes. So here are some of the things that I took out.

_Agena_- Is an alternate name for the star Beta Centauri, another name for it would be Hadar, but Hadar has a more masculine sound to it. It's one of the brightest stars in the sky.

Culverin- this name describes a type of naval artillery. Typically it refers to a narrow cannon with a long barrel. It's name comes from a latin word meaning serpent.

Agena's wand is made of Juniper. Juniper is sometimes known as the Mountain Yew, and depending on the species the tree can range anywhere from a small shrub, to a large and usually twisted tree. Juniper is also associated with purification. In folklore, it's aromatic smoke was believed to ward off evil spirits. Agena's wand contains Dragons Heartstring. And for the purpose of this fic, so does her mother's wand. Also I had it so that both Andromeda and Nymphadora's wands contain Phoenix Feather, and Narcissa's would be Unicorn Hair. (somehow that makes sense for her.) but that's the freedom of fanfiction.

_Daphne Greengrass_- the first time that she was actually mentioned was during O.W.L.S. in book five. I read somewhere that she was in one of Rowling's notebooks she is listed as a pure-blood in Slytherin. Also her first name was Queenie. Daphne is a good name change. But for purposes of this story she will serve as Agena's roommate.

_Hollis_- It's just Hollis. But basically he is an OC I pulled out of a magical hat. I needed a 5th year Prefect and he will do nicely. He is also a half-blood.

_Annette Yaxley_- Another OC playing opposite of Hollis. On the released portion of the Black Family Tapestry. One of Sirius's great-uncles, Arcturus Black, was married to a Lysandra Yaxley. I just chose to use that family name.

_Ferronēre- _Spell I made up. Ferro or Ferros would refer to iron. And nēre is a latin word from which the modern word needle comes from. In Latin nēre means 'to spin'.


	7. Chapter 06 Year 1

**Agena**

**JErosion**

**Chapter 06 – Friendship – Year 1**

**- **

Agena stepped out into one of the many courtyards that surrounded Hogwarts. It was early enough that the sun was little more than a dusty red-orange ball on the horizon. Despite the beckoning call of breakfast, she had only seen a few other children meandering about that morning. Given that it was Sunday, few students, no matter how dedicated they were, couldn't pass up the opportunity to sleep in.

That was one of the reasons why she was walking alone this morning. Daphne had stayed up late the night before trying to finish an essay for History of Magic. Agena wasn't entirely sure when her roommate had gone to bed. But when she woke up, she had to fight the urge to laugh. Daphne was curled up into a tight ball, poised hazardously on the edge of her mattress. Her position guaranteed, that if she made just the slightest movements she was bound to go tumbling onto the floor.

Despite that, Agena just didn't have the heart to wake her. Besides she was going to need her rest. Since they didn't have classes any classes on Sunday, it was the perfect time to catch up on homework. And Daphne despite her best efforts was starting to fall behind. Agena was finding some of her extra time helping her catch up.

Agena was finding that she really didn't have any difficulties with any of her classes. In her Charms and Transfiguration classes, if she didn't get the spell the first time, she was often able to succeed during her subsequent attempts. Her other classes like History of Magic and Herbology was mostly about memorization. And as for Astronomy, no descendant of the House of Black would dare due poorly in that subject. And it turned out that the better you did in your classes, the less likely you were going to be assigned extra homework.

Not having to deal with the extra essays, she was left with ample time to look into those books that Hollis had recommended. Considering how disappointing she found her Defense Against the Dark Arts class to be, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to do some outside reading. Daphne even helped, once she got through her homework. She was particularly fond of one jinx that caused it's target to double over in fits of laughter.

Agena passed though a large stone archway, and onto the school's grounds. Shadowed against the foggy edge of the forest was a small house. That had to be Hagrid's place. It was just as Nymphadora had described it, a small hut with a large pumpkin patch in back of it. There was a thin stream of smoke rising from it's chimney, but there were no visible lights in any of the windows though. It was possible that Hagrid was having a bit of a lie-in too. If it had been later in the day, she might have been tempted to go over and say hello. Then again, she didn't really know the man that well. So it might not be a good idea to go knocking on someone's door when you have no idea what kind of reception they might get. Maybe she would visit him sometime later in the year, when it wasn't early on a Sunday morning.

She turned north and started towards a tall structure that sat perched atop of a steep and rocky hill. It her hand she held an envelope. It was only the second letter that she written home. The first she had sent, was fairly short. In it she just mentioned the identity of her roommate was, as well as who some of her other housemates were. Sad to say, she had to disappoint Nymphadora. Her cousin had been so sure that she was going to be placed in Gryffindor. But no, it was Aunt Andromeda had guessed right. But...

Agena's mind returned to that thing the Sorting Hat had told her. _All heirs must return to their house._ Was it possible, that her Aunt already knew? Or did she guess that she would be sent to Slytherin because she was a parselmouth. She had been wanting to talk to Professor Dumbledore about it, but she really didn't a clue on how to go about doing that. Aside from his appearances at meal times, she hadn't seen walking though the halls. She could always try to see him while he was in his office. But there were several problems with that.

She didn't know if she needed to set an appointment. Or if she could just walk up to his door and knock. And that brought up another problem, she had no idea where his office was. She could ask one of the prefects or a teachers, but that would only provoke questions.

She shuddered at the thought of asking Professor Snape. She knew he wouldn't just give her any assistance. He would want to know exactly why she wanted to see Professor Dumbledore. And in all honesty from what she had seen of the man, she didn't want to tell him a thing.

_'Excuse me. Professor Snape, I think I need to speak to Professor Dumbledore right away. The Sorting Hat said I was an Heir of one the Four Founders, and I want to know what he'd think about it.' _

Agena shuddered. There was no way in hell she was going to tell him that. And without a satisfactory reason there was no way he would help her. She could certain imagine what his response would be.

"_Unless you can tell me a good reason as to why you need to see the Headmaster. I suggest you forget about it. Neither myself, nor Professor Dumbledore have time to cater to the foolish needs of some child."_

She sighed. She'd figure something out eventually. Something that hopefully didn't involve Professor Snape. Honestly she wasn't sure what to think of the man. She learned a few things about him during her first class with him. She glanced down at her letter that she held. In hindsight she may have gone a little overboard in her writing. But she had about three weeks worth of events to tell her family about and she really didn't want to leave anything out.

She had a few questions that she had wanted to ask Nymphadora, concerning some of the Professors. And there was one other thing. Something that would give her the ability to gloat over her cousin. Because there was someone in her Potions class that she _knew_ that Nymphadora would love to meet. Of coarse she hadn't had the opportunity to introduce herself to him yet.

Potions was sort of special. The classroom, like their dorms, was located down in the dungeons. It wasn't the brightest nor was it one of the most cheeriest places in the castle. But the dungeons were a Slytherin's best friend. Given the labyrinth like corridors of the school above them, being able to navigate the dungeons was essential if you wanted to get to your classes on time.

The same was true if you were a Hufflepuff. Their common room was supposed to be some place in the lower levels of the castle as well. Hollis had mentioned that their common room was behind a large tapestry that was not too far from the kitchens. Not that it mattered too much, considering that she didn't know where the kitchens were yet. She was doing pretty good, just knowing how to get to her classes. By her reckoning, after another week or two she'd have the general layout of the school memorized.

Which was an absolute must, considering the wanderings of that awful man, Mr. Filch. It was bad enough that he had his office down in the dungeons. He was suppose to be some sort of caretaker. However the only things she had ever seen him do was flail around a mop, and accuse students of misbehaving. She had to run past him earlier this morning. Fortunately he seemed preoccupied and distracted enough that he did pay her any heed. He was muttering in a disappointed fashion to that dust-rag of a cat that followed him everywhere.

"_Students out of bed... We'll catch them next time, my sweet... Oh, how I wish the headmaster would let me use the old punishments. I'd have the whole lot of them locked-up in shackles."_

Her passing didn't escape the attention of Filch's cat. But Ms. Norris, only paused for a second before continuing to follow her master's steps. That cat usually acted as her master's spy, snooping and sulking around castle looking for students that might be breaking any rules, just so she could run off to fetch her master. That cat was a wretched little thing.

Aside from the class's location, Potions was unique in the fact, that it was the only one that they shared with the Gryffindors. In all of her other classes, Slytherin had been paired off with either the Ravenclaws or the Hufflepuffs. So it came as a bit of a pleasant surprise when she first stepped into potion that first Friday to find the other half of the room classroom being filled with students wearing the red and gold of Gryffindor.

Yet she couldn't just walk up to any of them and start talking, at least not in class. It was kind of weird, but it was all part of Slytherin politics. Both her house and Gryffindor had this rivalry thing, that supposedly went back all the way to the days of the founders. Even after a thousand years, students continue the conflict started by their house's namesakes. It was like they were under some sort of strange obligation to do so. Rivalry or not, this class had also given her the opportunity to take a good look at one of the most famous wizards in the world.

Agena had seen him during the sorting, but at the time she wasn't really sure if that was really him or not. He wasn't very tall, and kinda skinny too. His hair was as dark as hers, but unlike hers, his hair flew out in every which direction, like he had been standing outside during a wind storm. He wore large round rimmed glasses. But both his hair and his glasses only served to conceal his two most distinct features. There was his eyes, which were a brilliant emerald green.

But this was Harry Potter, and aside for a pair of pretty eyes, he looked just like a regular boy. A regular boy that looked like there was absolutely nothing special about him. Except for that zig-zagging scar on his forehead. Okay, maybe he wasn't so ordinary. And it was all had to do with that thing that was carved into his forehead. The scar that was a memento of the night, that he saved the wizarding world.

That was kind of a staggering thought. The darkest and most feared wizard of all time, a man so evil he would cast the killing curse on an infant. And when he did, it was rebounded, deflected back upon its caster. And then Voldemort was no more. In a single moment a child that was only a year old, defeated the cruelest and most ruthless wizard of all time. And all he got from it was a scar on his forehead.

She knew the story, everyone in class knew this story. But at the same time, none of them did. None of them truly knew what had happened. The only one who was privy to the full truth was the boy himself. But even then he might not know. He was only an baby at the time. And the tale that she and everyone else grew up with, had probably been embellished more and more with each telling, that there was no way in knowing what was true and what was conjecture. She found that she was curious as what kind of person he was.

Yet she wasn't the only one to effected by the presence of the Boy-Who-Lived. Many of those on the Slytherin side of the room craned their heads up to get a better look at him. But not all looks sent his direction were ones of curiosity. Draco seemed to have already made Harry Potter into his rival. She had overheard Malfoy recounting how the boy had snubbed him by turning down his offer of friendship, in favor of hanging around with '_ Weasley Rubbish_'.

Professor Snape seemed to have something against the boy as well. It came when he was taking roll call.

"Ah, yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new  _celebrity_."

She could hear muted laughter coming from Draco, Crabbe and that other big boy, she still wasn't sure what his name was. It was something like Dolye, or maybe Bolye. Anyway, the three of them seemed to take a great bit of pleasure, in hearing the Professor's snide remark.

Once the Professor finished role, he stood up from his chair and walked around the front of his desk and began to lecture. He spoke softly, yet his voice carried to the farthest corners of the chamber.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. As there is little wand waving in this class, many of you will doubt that this is magic. I don't expect any of you to see the beauty that exists within a softly simmering cauldron. Nor do I expect you to truly understand the power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even place a stopper into death... that is if you are not a bunch of bumbling idiots!"

He paused letting his words seep in. But the silence last for too short of a time.

"Potter!" the Professor said suddenly. "What would I get if I added powered root of asphodel with an infusion of wormwood?"

After a pause, Potter responded by saying, "I don't know, sir."

Agena had looked though her books, but she couldn't recall what potion that was. The use of both ingredients together did sound vaguely familiar, she just couldn't place a name to it. And it was likely that anyone, in the class would be able to answer. At least not on their first day. Well, maybe not anyone. A girl that was sitting near Potter raised her hand.

After another snide remark, the Professor went at him again. "Potter where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar."

Her hand twitched, that was one that she knew. At home Aunt Andromeda had a draw full of them in her apothecary cupboard. And most people who brewed their own potions, kept a few on hand. Especially since they could save a person from most poisons. But there was another reason as well.

Agena really couldn't help it, but she had the tendency to attract a certain kind of company. She couldn't recall a moment where a snake had ever bared it's fangs at her. But ever cautious, Aunt Andromeda kept bezoars, because in addition to some poisons, the small stone could also slow or even neutralize some venoms.

The Professor didn't stop with the bezoar, he started to quiz the boy on wolfsbane and monkshood. Agena recognized the wolfsbane. It occupied a draw in Aunt Andromeda cupboard. As for monkshood, she had heard the name before, but yet again she could place from where.

For a third time Potter replied with a slightly strained "I don't know, sir." But Agena could hear traces of anger seeping into the boy's voice. And as wise as it would be to just stay quite, it seemed however that the-boy-who-lived was no longer willing to take the professor's prodding questions, so with defiance in his voice he added. "Maybe you should ask Hermione, I think she might know."

Indeed she must. The last question prompted the girl to jump up from her seat, in an effort to get Professor Snape to call on her. Agena remembered the girl from the train. She was a muggleborn. Naturally she would be compelled to prove herself, and to show everyone that she belonged here. But this was the wrong place for her to try and stand out. She was too new to this world to know it, but there were some places that she would never be able to go, no matter how accomplished she was.

"Sit down you silly girl!" the Professor snapped at Hermione. Snape's sneer traveled across the room, wiping away the smiles and silencing the laughter that had sprung up at Potter's remark. The Professor then deducted a point off of Gryffindor.

Now Agena had been looking forward to this class. Her Aunt Andromeda was a certified Potions Master. And to earn some extra money she often brewed potions for people, who were often too busy or sometimes lacked the competence to brew themselves. Agena had spent many day watching her Aunt work. And in some cases, provided that the potion wasn't too sensitive or complicated, she was allowed to help.

After a few words of instructions, Professor Snape split everyone into pairs. They were to spend the rest of the class trying to complete the potion that was written on a blackboard that was at the front of the class room. Their teacher didn't just leave them to their own devices either. During the coarse of the class, he snaked his way between the tables in the room. Every few moments he would stop to criticize the way some students were progressing.

Though a majority of the class period he had passed by both her and Daphne. Yet they were unable to stay unscathed for the entire class. He happened to stop by their table right when Daphne was preparing the snake fangs in a mortar. Professor Snape stared at their cauldron as Agena carefully stirred the mixture. She watched him expectantly as his eyes narrowed and then as his eyebrows arched up. It was a while before he spoke.

"Tell me Miss Culverin, why aren't you following the directions on the board?" The Professor asked in a quiet and almost curious tone.

She knew at once why he was asking her that. The instructions specifically stated that they were to stir their potions in a counterclockwise making a full turn every ten seconds. She was stirring her potion a good deal slower.

"umm... I think," she responded in an equally quiet voice. "I think that the flax root we started out with may have been a too dry, and I thought I should compensate, by stirring the potion slower and letting it simmer for a bit longer, at least until the potion to reach the right color."

"And where did you learn to do such a thing?"

"m-My Aunt, sir." She replied nervously. "She taught me, that the way you stir a potion can release or surpress certain aspects of the ingredients used. And that I should first trust my instincts and what I see with my eyes, and not just what is written on paper."

She wasn't sure what to expect from her teacher, but she did feel some surprise when he nodded.

"Then it seems that she has taught you well. We don't teach such techniques to students until their seventh year Newt classes. However I advise you, for your safety, to follow the instructions as they are written on the board. Not every potion can be adjusted so readily or in such a manner."

And with that he strode away, to crush the confidence of some other students. Daphne release the breath she had been holding, ever since he had bent over their table. Not that she could blame her. He left their table leaving them a warning, which she supposed was better than saying something negative. However he wasn't negative with everyone. For Professor Snape was unable to find any fault in his favorite student, Draco Malfoy.

It was a little disheartening. From her vantage point, his potion was no better or worse than hers. Yet there Professor Snape was, announcing to the whole class on how well his potion was at it's current stage. At least she didn't have to listen to it for long. Because a cauldron over on the Gryffindor side of the classroom exploded with spectacularly effect.

A stream of noxious green smoke filled up the whole chamber, and which was followed by a wrenching sound as the cauldron, that had contained the volatile potion, let loose it's contents upon the floor and on the poor student who had been working on it. Maybe that was what Professor Snape meant by following the directions on the board. By her estimates the only thing that could have caused a disaster, like the one that was currently creeping across the floor, could have only been cause by adding an ingredient at the wrong stage.

The boy, who was now covered in angry red welts, had to be taken to the hospital wing by his lab partner. Oddly enough the blame for this event was somehow placed on Harry Potter, causing him to lose yet another point from his house.

It took a several waves of the Professor's wand to completely banish the mess. As soon as it was whisked away he barked at them to finish their assignments. At the end of class, the professor had them all bring him a sample of their potions in a glass vial. Both her and Daphne received an '_Outstanding_' for the day. But they were one of the few that were rewarded that grade. Draco and his partner received the same grade, and with the way Professor Snape fawned all over him, it wasn't very surprising. What was surprising, was the group that included that muggleborn girl, Hermione Granger. Good for her.

The rest of the class received a mix of letter grades, ranging from 'E' for excellent, to 'T' for terrible. It should be noted that a majority of the good grades were given to the students on the Slytherin side of the classroom.

By the end of that class she had finally formed an opinion on Professor Snape. He was excellent as a Potion Master. For each and every vial that failed to earn a grade above an 'E', he immediately told that group what they had done wrong. And most of the time, it wasn't in such a nice way. The lower the grade the angrier Professor Snape seemed to become.

He had a nasty streak in him, that he wasn't afraid to show. His teaching method seemed more discouraging than anything else. Maybe even inappropriate considering that they were first year students. Then again when someone causes an explosion in your class, you were bound to get a little angry. .

-

Agena slowly climbed the ancient stone steps that circled around the rocky base of the Owlery. The building was a tall single tower that resembled a lighthouse. At varying levels along it's rough stone walls were large open windows. Those were mostly likely there for the benefit of the tower's feathered occupants. Fortunately at the top of the curved stairway was an opening that was far more accommodating for human visitors.

Despite the position of the rising sun. Owls were still flying into the tower. There was still a few hours before a flock of the normally nocturnal birds, flew into the Great Hall to deliver the morning post. She hoped to find an owl that was still awake enough to deliver her letter.

As she entered the owlery, and almost collided with another student.

"Oh! Excuse me." Agena said automatically. Normally, she would have just offered a small nod or wave and walked on to do her business. But Agena paused as she recognized the girl in front of her. Not that she could mistake her for anyone else. Especially with that crop of bushy brown hair and those large front teeth.

It was quite the coincident, considering that she had just been thinking about the girl and her performance in the one class that they shared.

"Hello there."

"um, Hello." the girl replied, with an uncertain waver in her voice. Even though it was Sunday she was wearing her uniform, although it was probably a little more ruffled than it would have been were it the middle of the week. But Agena noticed, that the girl also looked a little upset. Her cheeks were a little flushed and her eyes were all red and puffy.

"Your Hermione Granger? I believe we meet briefly on the train." She extended her hand with her greeting.

"oh, Right. Your... um... Agena?" She asked, sounding unsure if she was correct.

"Agena Culverin." Agena confirmed, smiling slightly as the other girl accepted her hand. But the contact was only brief. Hermione seemed very hesitant and untrusting of her. "I see you got into Gryffindor like you wanted."

"um, Yes. I guess I did." Hermione nodded. She crossed her arms over her chest. She was trying to cover up her tie as well as the Gryffindor patch on her robes.

Agena was beginning to feel a little discouraged. But in a way she couldn't really blame her. Hermione was a Gryffindor and she was a Slytherin. Because of the houses they were placed in, she was left with no reason to trust her. If anything it was the fault of Draco Malfoy. That stunt he pulled during their first flying class, pretty much established hostile relations between both of their houses.

Agena, for the life of her, could see no reason for it. Slytherin should be able to have amicable relations with each of the other houses. Perhaps all that was needed was small steps. Agena had never liked the idea of drawing attention to herself, but there was moments when she felt that she needed to break ranks from the other members of her house. Like the best way to stub people like Draco Malfoy, was to make friends with a muggleborn from Gryffindor.

"So,... Did that boy ever find his toad?"

"What?"

"On the Hogwarts Express, you came into the compartment I was in saying that you were helping a boy, who lost his toad."

"Oh," she half exclaimed as she understood her first question. "Yes, Neville got it back. Somehow the toad wound up with that Hagrid fellow."

"Neville?" Agena's suddenly flashed to the incident in potions, as well as what had happened during their flying lesson. "He's that brown-haired boy... the one that seems rather... accident prone."

She could see Hermione tense up for a moment. But soon she was nodding her head in agreement. He has a nasty fall during his first time he hops on a broom and within three potions classes she had managed to destroy two cauldrons.

"I'm sorry, about that thing in Madame Hooch's class. I know I'm not the one who should be apologizing, nor are you the one that needs to be apologized to. But I'm sorry that some of my house mates have to be the way that they are."

She was truly being genuine in her apology. And with what had happened in that class she couldn't help but feel some shame for the behavior of many of her fellow Slytherins. That Neville boy fell off his broom and breaks his wrist. And what does Draco do? He bursts out laughing as soon as Madame Hooch was out of ear shot. The worse part about it was the number of her house mates joined him. And even then it was impossible to tell how many of them actually found Neville's misfortune to be humorous or were just laughing to fit in.

Yet not all of the Slytherins present laughed. Daphne brow had knitted in concern. She also made a sympathetic 'aw' for him, when Madame Hooch's examination of his arm revealed it was broken. That was one of those things that made her glad that she had Daphne as a roommate. She was very honest with what she felt. Her mood tended to reflect the feelings of those around her. She tended to become quiet and withdrawn, when she around sources of conflict. The malicious nature of Draco's sense of humor, had a negative impact on her. However there were other times when the opposite seemed to happen. When she was happy she could often elevate the moods of even some of the most dower of people. But Daphne was just odd that way.

Aside from herself and Daphne, there were only two others that did not Draco in his mirth. There was a odd girl named Jeroma. In the three weeks they had been at school, Agena had yet to hear that girl laugh at anything. The other, was a boy named Nott, but he was quiet and usually stuck to himself.

But what was four quiet students, when compared to a dozen or so that were laughing?

"I guess..." Hermione started, as she shifted from foot to foot, her gaze fell to the eyes shifted to the floor. "... you can't pick your house mates."

"Right." Agena agree. Sadly the Malfoy laughing wasn't the only thing to happen. He had then picked up, something of the ground, that Neville had dropped. Immediately Harry Potter stepped forward to demand its return. Draco Malfoy, being the nasty little snot that he was, hopped on his broom and took to the air.

For several days leading up to the lessons, Malfoy had been complaining about how first years weren't allowed to have brooms. And he kept recounting stories about how well he could fly. But for once, it seemed that he wasn't just being full of himself.

From almost fifty feet in the air, he taunted Potter to 'come and get it'. The look on Malfoy's face was beyond shock. Not only could Harry Potter fly, but he moved with the near precision of a professional Quidditch player. Malfoy hadn't expected that. Draco was probably banking on, the idea that more than half of the class had never been on a broom before. And rumor had it, that Harry Potter had been living with muggles prior to coming to Hogwarts.

It didn't matter if that was true or not, because Malfoy looked absolutely scared. He threw the object away, letting it fly up into the air into a high arch. But Harry Potter would wow everyone. He sped after the red ball and flew into a steep dive. Miraculously he caught the ball before it could hit the ground. There wasn't a single person, Gryffindor or Slytherin, that wasn't impressed by what he had done. Well everyone except for Malfoy and his lot. And apparently Professor McGonagall, who came storming into the courtyard and took Potter away.

For the rest of the day Malfoy strutted around the school with a look triumph on her face, at least until later that evening. It turned out that Harry Potter had not been expelled like Madame Hooch had promised them. But some of the things that happened did raise some questions in her mind.

She thought of the disappointed mutterings of Filch as she had passed him earlier. "I'm kind of curious, and I'm not sure if you might know, but those two boys weren't really dumb enough to run out after curfew to dual Malfoy?"

Hermione's face darkened into a considerable scowl. Agena grimaced at her poor choice of words. Given that she was talking with a Gryffindor she was trying very hard to watch what she said. She didn't want to mess up and say something that could be interpreted as an insult.

"That is..." Agena murmured, "uh, Malfoy.. the first thing he did after dinner was to tell Filch, that he had over heard two other students talking about sneaking out of bed to vandalize the Trophy Room. And a..."

"I knew it!" Hermione spat. "I tried to tell them it was all a trick. They get caught... And they would lose points for our house... but no they had to run off anyway... and then I get stuck outside of our dorm when I try to stop them and... we almost get eaten by a giant three-headed dog... and that stupid Ronald Weasley acts like it's all my fault..."

Agena wasn't quite sure if she had heard her right. A three-headed dog? She was tempted to ask her, but she held her tongue, seeing Hermione's eyes. They were still pink around the edges, but it seemed that the Gryffindor girl's outburst had renewed the emotional turmoil that had forced tears from her eyes. Agena watched the expression on the girl's face change into a troubled expression as she struggled to push those feelings back down.

In a way she had told her everything that she needed to know. During the flying lessons Hermione had tried to keep Potter jumping on his broom as he went up to confront Malfoy. And she did the same to prevent him from leaving their dorm for the dual. She was trying to protect her house from losing any points, and for her trouble she gets some ugly things said to her.

Agena couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Harry Potter and his redheaded friend made a girl cry. She didn't know anything about this Weasley, but she had all these preconceived notions about Harry Potter. Ultimately she was no better than anybody else, viewing the boy as some noble defeater of evil. But like his appearance, he was just a boy. A boy who, whether intentional or not, could be cruel to others.

Oh, well.

"You know..." Agena said softly, "Boys are idiots."

Hermione looked up at her and after moment she let out a short laugh. She ran her hand across her face, wiping her eyes. With a faint smile, she nodded in agreement. "Yeah, your right."

They both laughed for a few seconds, before settling into silence.

"So, you almost got eaten by a three-headed dog?"

"Oh, that... um, you remember during the start-of-term feast Professor Dumbledore mentioned that the third floor corridor on the east side of the castle was off limits?"

Agena nodded.

"Apparently there is a giant three-headed dog in that hallway."

"I... see." Agena said hesitantly. But the notion that a potions of the school was occupied by such a creature demanded further explanation. "But why?"

"Well, it _is_ a dog so it might be guarding something. Either that or they have it in there, because it's better that having in roam around on the school's grounds."

"I see. I'll have to be sure I don't accidentally walk in there. Well... I've got a letter that needs delivering." Agena announced, raising the thin parcel in her hand.

"Right." Hermione nodded, "I still need to work on an essay for Professor's Binns class."

"Well then, I guess I be seeing you around." Once again Agena extended her hand towards the other girl. This time Hermione accepted without pausing.

"Alright. I'll see you around." With that Hermione began to make her way down the stairs that lead up to the owlery.

Agena watched her for a moment before turning into the tower.

-

**Author's Note:** That took a lot longer than I though it would. But I've been distracted, since a good deal of some of my favorite stories got updated. As for this chapter, I wanted Agena to make friends with Hermione. The next chapter will begin to cut into the Hogwarts Holidays. But I can't give you a confirmed date of completion. I got a lot of stories running though my head right now. So Please review. But reviews encourage writing.


	8. Chapter 07 Year 1

**Agena**

**JErosion**

**Chapter 07 – Reaching Out – Year 1**

Agena pushed her way into the bathroom. She was trying very hard not to allow her right hand to make any further contact with anything. Well,... anything else. Her face soured as she looked at the back of her fingers and the clump of her hair that was adhered to them.

It turned out that Herbology could be every bit as hazardous as Potions and Transfiguration. They hadn't seen anything too dangerous in class yet. But some of the plants they had been shown, had certain annoyances. As in today's lesson.

Fetterberries. They were a large, yellowish aggregate fruit. And for the most part, they weren't very spectacular. The berries were edible, however they were so bitter, they would give their eater an upset stomach. The same didn't go for all creatures. It turned out that fetterberries were a favorite of Gnomes, Brownies and other small humanoid pests. Aside of filling the bellies of such magical creatures, fetterberries did have one notable use. The juice, as it dried, became a very, very sticky glue.

Unfortunately some of the berries she had picked during the days lesson had been overly ripe. And as a result, they exploded at her touch. Also she thought that she had washed all the stick fluid off, while at the greenhouse sinks. But apparently some invisible traces of the berries remained, on the back of her right hand. After class had been dismissed, she and Daphne had been making their way towards Professor Binn's class. Casually she went to brush a lose strand of hair out of her face, when she discovered that her hair had suddenly become reluctant to let go of her hand. _What a bother._

She could have tried to 'magic' it off, but seeing how it was her wand hand, that was entangled in her hair, not to mention that her knowledge and experience with cleaning spells were somewhat limited. It looked like she was going to have to rely on good, old-fashioned soap and water. And the sooner the better. She didn't want this stuff to cure and have to be forced to cut her hair.

She told Daphne to go on with out her, and made her way to the nearest bathroom. Once inside she practically had to dip her entire head into a sink so she allow for some warm to flow over the problem area. With the aid of some soap, she was able to slowly free her hair from that appendage. Once free she continued to rub the back of that offending hand, to make sure that she didn't miss anything.

Since she had been at the sinks a few other girls had filtered in and out of the lavatory. A few gave her odd looks, but she could hardly blame them for that. She was sure that she looked rather foolish. Now there was a pair of older Ravenclaws, probably fourth or fifth year from the looks of them, who were giggling loudly about the feast later tonight. They kept going on and on, about some boy that they wanting to sit with.

But that did reminded her that today was Halloween and according to the fliers that were posted in the common room, the Great Hall would be closed after lunch, for decorating. She had to admit, that she was really looking forward to it . She heard some of the older kids, say something about Professor Dumbledore personally saw to the decorating.

When those Ravenclaw girls were preparing to make their exit, the door suddenly kicked open. And a brown blur exploded into the chamber, it pushed it's way between the two Ravenclaws, and nearly plowed into a Hufflepuff, who was moving towards an unoccupied sink. The frantic girl meandered about briefly, before running into one of the stalls.

The disruption caused by that student only lasted for a few moments before everyone went about their business. Well, almost everyone. Agena was most certain, that she recognized the girl who had come running into the room. And with that bush of brown hair, it was hard to mistake her for anybody else.

It wasn't long after that another Gryffindor girl came in. It was a young Indian girl, that Agena was sure, that was the sister of Padma Patil, who was a Ravenclaw in her year. After making a brief scan of the bathroom, the Gryffindor made a guess and went to the correct door that Hermione had disappeared behind. She could hear the girl speak softly at the door, but after a while she backed away from the door and shook her head. She exited the bathroom soon after.

Agena waited for the room to clear out, before she went over to that stall. She approached slowly, walking as quietly as she could. She turned an ear to the door and heard some choked and labored breathing coming from the other side. Hermione was crying.

When the warning bell rang, she expected the girl to emerge from stall and rush towards her next class. Even though they only shared one class, she was aware of the girl's studious nature. Only two months into the school year and Hermione Granger had garnered a reputation as a know-it-all book worm.

She worked hard to get were she was. But her success in the classroom seemed to have done more harm to her than good. Misplaced jealously, had caused many of her classmates to distance themselves from her. And in some cases, she became the target of their hostility.

Agena could sympathize with her. She was getting some of the same sort of treatment from some of her own house mates. Both her cousin, Draco Malfoy, along with that tart, Pansy Parkinson, had been spending the last month or so, polarizing their house. It was hard to describe, but it would be like they were going around saying '_Your either with Us or your with the Mudbloods and Blood Traitors.'_

Since she had already gotten herself on the bad side of those two, Agena found her self being placed into the later of the two choices. Not that she minded one bit. Considering the kind of people that Draco and Pansy were, she would have volunteered for the position.

In Agena's mind she was just a different sort of Slytherin. One that was cleaver enough to make her own decisions. And could make her own friends, regardless of blood. Thankfully Daphne shared her sentiments. There were times when she had to wonder why her roommate had been placed in Slytherin. She cared very little about blood. And truth be told she wasn't exactly the brightest witch in of her year. But it should be known that, there are many kinds of cleaver. As Daphne's social skills were rather remarkable. Her fun loving personality, coupled with her bright and infectious smile, made it difficult to find anyone who didn't like her. And if she applied herself, she could get someone to spill all of their secrets. But then again Daphne always seemed to know just what to say.

A combination of having Daphne as her roommate and how good her grades were, kept Draco or Pansy from getting the others in her year from completely excluding from the social activities that occurred in her house. Agena had already been helping Daphne with her homework, and from time to time she had others coming to her for assistance with some of their homework as well.

Fortunately she still had time to pursue her outside reading. Sometimes she went to the library to study and to read up on various subjects. On an occasion she even shared a table with the Gryffindor 'know-it-all'. Agena thought of her as a nice girl. Maybe a little wound up, but still a nice girl.

The start of class bell rang.

Agena waited a little longer. However Hermione did not emerge from the stall. Taking a chance Agena raised a hand and gave the door a quick rap. From the other side of the door she heard a small gasp.

"Hermione?" Agena tried.

There was no answer.

"Hermione? It's you, isn't?" she tried again.

Still no response.

Agena pulled her wand out , with a small semi-circular motion she incanted the words, "_Alohomora._"

She was rewarded with the sound of the latch clicking open, and she pushed the door open. Huddled back in a far corner was Hermione. Her knees were drawn up to her chest and her arms were wrapped around her legs. Her red rimmed eyes briefly, peeked out from above her knees before they disappeared again.

"_Go away!_" she croaked in a low voice.

When someone tells you to go away. They usually want you to leave. But when they say it in that voice, it tends to mean the opposite. There was part of her that told her to leave the girl be, and just run off to class. Professor Binns wouldn't notice if she showed up late. He doesn't even notice when his students fell asleep in his class.

But she wasn't raised that way. She stepped into the stall and slid down the wall, squatting down next to the brown haired girl.

"Hey." she said softly, placing a hand on the top of Hermione's head.

Hermione flinched at the touch, her arms tightened around her legs. She crawled back as far as the walls surrounding her would allow.

"_Leave me alone!_"

"Shhhhh," Agena whispered. When she was younger, she use to have nightmares. Dreams that were bad enough that she would wake up screaming. She could never remember, what they were about. But even then she was still left with the feelings that her nightmares had produced. It was her Aunt that always came to help her. Andromeda would hold her until her tears subsided. And she would always speak softly to her, telling her that everything would be alright.

Agena did her best to emulate the tone of her Aunt's voice. "It's alright."

Hermione's whole body hitched as she continued to cry. Agena waited a while, before edging close enough that she could move her hand from the top of the girl's head to her back. She then pulled the Gryffindor over. Initially Hermione resisted the motion, but eventually she gave in, leaning into Agena's shoulder.

It was quite a while before she calmed down. By Agena's reckoning, half of the current class period had to be over. But that wasn't really important. Not compared to this. Agena smiled as she noted how un-Slytherin -like she was behaving. Most people in her house wouldn't skip class to comfort a girl from another house, let alone someone who was muggle-born. Well, Daphne would, but that was just her nature.

For Agena it wasn't about, 'how could I use this to my advantage'. No, it was about what she could do for someone else. After all, her two biggest role models was both her Aunt Andromeda and Professor Dumbledore.

Her Aunt had taught her perseverance. And where and from whom you came from, did not dictate how you should live your life. As for the Headmaster...

She had heard that during the war he had led a small organization, with the single purpose of defeating the dark wizard Voldemort. His people, despite being horribly outnumbered, never left his side. Dumbledore was a man who reached out and helped others. And he was a man who gave people second chances. And in so doing, he earned their loyalty and trust.

That's what she wanted to be.

"I thought things would be different..."

Agena looked to the girl next to her. Once more her eyes appeared over the tops of her knees, she was looking blankly at the across from them.

"...but it's same," she sniffed.

"What is?" Agena asked with uncertainly. She didn't know if Hermione was just saying that or if she was actually wanting to talk about what had happened to her.

"In primary school..." Hermione said slowly, " all the other kids singled me out... They wouldn't talk to me unless it was to tease me or something... To them I was '_Bushy haired Granger with her face in a book._'

"I was already reading novels, when most everyone else was just learning their letters... While my teachers praised me, all I got from my peers was mocking glares and contempt... Eventually, I was even placed in an advanced classes, with other students that show higher aptitude. But even then the other students wouldn't come near me. And things only got worse when I accidentally let my magic loose in class."

Hermione raised her head just enough to reveal a mirthless smile.

"You have any idea what it was like to walk into class and find the word 'WITCH', written in big letters across your desk."

"um, Not really." Agena replied reluctantly, "I was home-schooled by my Aunt and some of her late husbands relatives."

"Then you were lucky."

"So what did you do, to get called a witch?"

"Oh, that?"

The smile returned to Hermione's face, however this time she had a satisfied glint in her eyes.

"I think the first time I was in a reading class. The teacher had stepped out of the classroom, this girl that sat behind me thought it would be funny to start flicking bits of paper into my hair. Every time she did, I'd turn around and ask her to stop. But she didn't stop. Even when I tried to ignore it, she kept it up.

"I eventually got so angry... that I turned around in my seat and I was about to tell her to sod off, when..."

"When what?" Agena asked, her curiosity peaked.

"She and her desk were covered in a half an inch of snow."

"Wow! Really?" Agena laughed. Hermione nodded. "But why snow?"

Hermione tilted her head to the side, she seemed to be thinking.

"It may have had something to do with the story I was reading. It was a story about dog sledding in the Yukon."

"Oh," that was all that Agena could say. She wasn't entirely sure what this dog sledding was. And while she had been taught how to read and write, her exposer to muggle literature had been limited to what was considered to be 'crossover works.' Stories like Arthurian legends and Odyssey, which despite being written or collected by muggles, contained actual events or people from the their world. Merlin was very real, and is still considered to be the greatest wizard that ever was. The Odyssey mentions the Island of the Lotus Eaters. That was a real island. Although that was considered to be a place that was so saturated with dark magic, that it had long been made unplottable.

"Was that the first time you ever did magic?"

Hermione gave her a side long glance, before shaking her head.

"No, I had a habit of causing books to fall off of the high shelf in my father's study... What about you?"

"Me?" Agena had to think about that. The first bit of magic that she could remember, involved talking with a snake. But that wasn't something that she was willing to admit, unless she had to. And she had a lot of incidents were things had happened. Summoning things from across the room was common to all magical children. But there was one thing that she did, that was certainly not common.

"Growing up in a magical household there was always something going on. But there was this one time, when I was around six or seven, my Aunt took me to park that wasn't too far from were we lived. There were a few other adults there with their children. I really didn't play with the other kids. I mean, it's not that I didn't want to, it was just that the muggle children kind of avoided me. But I think that's because they can tell I was different. That's just one of those things, I guess.

"Young muggles tend to notice magic more readily than their parents would. Anyway at some point my Aunt got dragged into some conversation with some of the other parents. I was playing on my own. There are a lot of wooded areas around our neighborhood. And from the edge of the park, I suddenly heard a growl.

"When I looked up, I saw this enormous dog. I think it was sick, because It had this thick trail of drool coming out of it's mouth. And as it got closer it kept alternating between growling and making a whimpering sound."

"What did you do?" Hermione asked, her eyes were still red and puffy, but not as bad as they had been.

"I was so scared, I couldn't do anything." Agena continued. "I went from quietly playing on a slide, to having a giant mangy dog, running right at me. So I did what most kids my age would have done. I shut my eyes, covered my face with my arms, and started screaming."

"What happen?"

Agena looked Hermione eyes as she concluded her tale. "I remember thinking in my head, that I wanted it to go away. I just wanted the dog to go away. And just when the dog should have bit me, I heard it yelp." Agena paused for a moment, as she remember what had happened. "After it cried out, I reopened my eyes, and it was gone. There was no body, there was no puffs of smoke, and there wasn't even the crack of apparition. It was just gone. It turned out, that I had vanished it."

"But-" Hermione whispered with some awe. "That's like a N.E.W.T. level transfiguration."

"I know... It wasn't a second later before my Aunt had swept me up, in her arms. Some of the other adults had run over as well, though I'm not sure how many of them had seen the dog disappear. But I think I heard my Aunt tell them, that the dog must have rushed back though the bushes, it had come through.

"She took me straight home after that. After she got me to calmed me down some, she asked me about what had happened. After she got all of the details, I think she flooed Professor Dumbledore about it."

"The Headmaster?"

"Yes. Both he and my Aunt have been acquaintances for a long time. I don't know what they talked about. I was still kind of upset at the time, so i really didn't listen to them. But I'm pretty sure that it was him that she was talking to.

They fell into silence once more. Agena thought it might be the right time to ask her.

"So. What happened, to make you come here?"

And with a single question seemed to undo the progress she had made with Hermione. She could see the brown haired girl tighten her arms back around her knees.

"Was it those two again?"

She could see the girl's eyes water over.

"What did they do?"

Her head dropped, her face being obscured by her bangs.

"Stupid...," she could hear Hermione mutter bitterly. And it was followed by the choked name. "Onild Wesley."

_Who the hell was that?_ Agena wondered silently. It was a second before the image of a train of redheads entered her head. Weasley. Or more specifically, Ronald Weasley. Hermione had mentioned him several times before. And usually not in a positive light.

"Hermione?" Agena asked, moving her arms into a lose hug around the crying girl. "What did he say?'

_It's no wonder that no one can stand her... she's a nightmare... notice that she's got no friends..._

It took Hermione a long time to get that out. All the while, hot tears resumed their flow down her face.

"Hey it's alright Hermione. You shouldn't listen to such nonsense. You've got a friend right here, even if they don't wear red and gold... That's if you'll have me."

Hermione didn't say anything, but Agena received her answer when the others girl's hands came up around one of her arms. They stayed that way for a long time. It wasn't until the end of class bell rang, that Hermione managed to compose herself. She had cried for a long time. Then again, she probably been holding everything in for a long time.

"Are you going to be alright now?" Agena asked as she stood up. She wobbled a bit, the way she had been sitting hadn't been too kind to her legs.

Hermione nodded her head, but she made no effort to get up.

"Your not going to stay here, are you?"

Hermione stared off towards the floor.

"Hermione?"

"Oh, no." she replied, jumping slightly. "I think..."

"hmmm?"

"I... I just need a little time."

"Alright. I'm gonna go and find out what I missed from Professor Binns. I'll see you at the feast tonight." Agena looked expectantly at the other girl, and didn't turn away until she got a nod from Hermione.

Agena left the bathroom, for her dormitory. She needed to find Daphne, so she could get what the days assignment had been. She had at least an hour before they would reopen the Great Hall and probably another half-hour before the Halloween feast would actually begin.

Yet she couldn't help but feel slightly queasy, as she though of Hermione. Agena hoped that the other girl would come out of there.

-

"You look distracted."

Giant Jack-O-Lanterns with bright yellow flames burning inside them, floated about above their heads. Above that was the chatter of thousands of bats, that flew from spot to spot looking for places to perch upon. On the tables in front of them laid golden platers filled heavily with ham, heaps of baked potatoes, fresh pies and other treats that were so numerous that one could never hope to taste them all. So, was she distracted? Just a little.

"Agena? You there?"

"Huh?" The girl in question, turned to the girl next to her. Daphne's brow was knitted up in concern.

"Are you feeling okay? You look a bit pale. Well... a little paler than usual."

"Don't worry, Daphne. It's nothing really." she smiled in a assuring manner.

But from the exploring look in Daphne's pale green eyes, she could tell that her roommate wouldn't find that answer satisfactory.

"Does it have anything to do with you being gone from Binns class?"

Agena smiled at Daphne. She couldn't lie to her roommate. It wasn't that she couldn't lie. Agena could easily keep a straight face, whenever she was telling a fib. But the thought of lying to Daphne, made her feel guilty. Besides, Daphne would be able to see through it. That was the way she was.

"It's nothing really."

"I wish you'd tell me what happened."

"There was just someone who was in a bad way, and I had to try and help her out."

"Is that why you keep looking over at the that table."

Agena just nodded.

"Who are you looking for?"

"hmmm." Agena stood up and looked across the all. Most student in the same year sat together. At the opposite end of the hall was the Gryffindor table. She couldn't see her, amongst the first years. In fact she couldn't see Hermione amongst any of the older students either. However she did see Ronald Weasley. With a scowl and a disappointed sigh she sat back down. "It was Hermione Granger."

Daphne made a face. "Who's that?"

"She's in Gryffindor.?"

"Oh, you mean the bookworm, the hair out to here." Daphne held her hands up, right above her shoulders.

Agena had to giggle at that.

"Her hair isn't that bad." she said patting Daphne's shoulder. "I'm just a little worried, when I left her, she said she was going to come to the feast, but I don't see her over there."

"So, what are you going to do?"

Agena had already stood back up. She was determine to go back to that bathroom, and pull Hermione out of there. And she was prepared to do it by force if necessary.

But before she could tell Daphne, a frantic looking Professor Quirrell burst into the hall. He looked as if he had been running for the last hour. By the time he reached the head table, he was wheezing.

"th-There's... a Troll... in the d-Dungeon!" he said between breaths. "Thought y-you ought to know..."

He then fell over.

The entire hall erupted into a clatter of shrieks and shouts. Half of the students present stood up, some of them even took it further by jumping up onto their benches, to look over the crowd.

There was then a series of loud pops, accompanied by bright purple flashes as fireworks erupted from tip of Professor Dumbledore's wand.

"Prefects! Gather your students and escort them to your dormitories."

Even from were she stood, Agena could see the degree of severity on the headmasters face.

But there was something that was even more pressing in Agena mind. Hermione Granger. Agena couldn't explain it, but she knew that Hermione was still in that bathroom. It was one of those feelings. Just like how you can feel it, if someone is staring from across a room.

And because she was down their right now and she didn't know. And that particular bathroom was near one of the dungeon entrances. There was too much danger evolved. Agena looked up and down her table, there was no way she would be able to slip away from the rest of her house mates. That left only one option.

"Slytherin and Hufflepuffs, please take extra guard as you make you way to your respective dormitories. Teachers with me." Professor Dumbledore said right before he disappeared into a side door. He was quickly followed by Professor Flitwick and Professor Sinistra. The head of her house, Professor Snape had already slipped out of the room through an entrance on the opposite side of the hall. She had to hurry or she would lose her chance.

She pushed against a swarm of other Slytherins. Behind her, she could hear Daphne calling after her. But there wasn't time to waste, Agena's last hope was Professor McGonagall, who was just moments away from filing out with the others.

She had nearly reached the Professor, when a hand clamped around her arm. She was spun around, as a powerful arm pulled her back.

"Hey, stay in line!" It was the sixth year prefect, Marcus Flint. He also happen to be the Captain of the Quidditch team.

"Let me go!" Agena shouted back, trying to tug her arm out of his grasp.

"Get back in line." he ordered pulling her in the direction that the rest of her House was going.

"Please, let me go!"

"I told you to get back in line!"

"No! Get off me!" She started to use her whole body to break his grip on her.

"Don't be difficult!" the Quidditch player snarled. He pulled his wand out of his robes.

"Flint! Just let her go!" came another voice.

Agena did bother to look for it's source. Marcus Flint had taken out his wand, and in all likelihood he was going to zap her with something to knock her out. And Flint was likely to do it too. As he was the kind to resort to brute force to get what he needed.

"LET ME GO!" Agena shouted in desperation. one more time. The desperation was rising in her. She had to get away, anymore of this and she might start speaking in Parseltounge. Intense moments of anger and fear could bring the snake out in her. And she wasn't ready for anyone else to know that she was a Parselmouth.

A bright flash of yellow ignited in front of her. Flint screamed out in pain and released her. She stumbled backwards, and almost fell to the ground. She quickly managed to regain her footing, and ran in the direction of the Deputy Headmistress. She didn't bother to look back at Flint, despite his cry of pain and the brief scent of sulfur that had touched her nose.

The few remaining Slytherins that lay between her and Professor McGonagall, moved out of her stepped out of her way. The commotion she had caused with her use of magic, did catch the attention of the transfiguration teacher.

"Ms. Culverin! What is the meaning of this?" The stern expression on her face threaten to turn her back. Not to mention the she was looking over her head, and in the Marcus Flint. "You need to return to your dormitory with the rest of your house."

"Please! I have something to tell you!" Agena cry out.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait. I can not emphasize, how dangerous it is to have a troll wandering about the castle. We can't have you throwing around spells, at a time like this. What did you just do to Mr. Flint." Agena could tell from the look on her face that she was anxious to join the other teachers.

"He's not important. This is about Hermione Granger! She doesn't know!"

Professor McGonagall's eyebrows became raised, and any concern she may have had for the Slytherin Quidditch captain evaporated.

"What about Ms. Granger?" the teacher asked, the tone of her voice changing.

"Earlier, Hermione ran into one of the bathrooms, she was upset over something one of her house mates said. I stayed with her throughout the last class period... Before I left she said that she would come to the feast, but I haven't seen her since then. I think she may still be in there."

"Now, surely she wouldn't..."

"She never entered this hall!" Agena interrupted. "If she was upset enough to not go to class, so she is probably still in there!"

Agena saw a fearful look enter the professor's eyes. She probably didn't know everything about her students. But a girl like Hermione stood out from her peers. A muggleborn witch, who was very intelligent and also very eager to please. It could get tough for a girl like her. And without a doubt Professor McGonagall could see that.

"Tell me, Ms. Culverin, which bathroom was she in?"

Agena took in a deep breath. "We were in the bathroom on the first floor, the one nearest to the Charms classroom."

The older woman's eyes widened. Having worked at Hogwarts for years, she knew how close that bathroom was to one of the dungeon entrances.

"Thank you, Ms. Culverin! Hollis, do see that she makes it back to your dorms."

Agena felt a hand comedown onto her shoulder. Hollis was standing right behind her.

"Yes, mum." He said with a nod.

Professor McGonagall was already on her way out, when she shouted from over her shoulder. "And I've told you repeatedly, not to call me that!"

"Right you are, mum!" Hollis called out after her. With his hand still on her shoulder, he guided Agena in the direction in which the other Slytherins had filed out. They were the only ones left in the hall, except for Professor Quirrell., who was still slumped over on the floor. Nobody attempted to revive him. And with a troll in the castle it was probably for the best. He was so faint of heart, a strong wind could knock him out.

Aside from the two of them, they were the only ones left in the Great Hall. After they had let the hall, Hollis took hold of her arm. He bent down and examined the limb with scrutiny.

"hmm, Not a mark." Hollis muttered, before releasing her arm. It was the same arm that Marcus Flint had grabbed her by. He straighten his back and gave her an appraising look, "You mind explaining what all that was about?"

Agena's face colored considerably. While she couldn't care less about what most her house mates thought about her. But Hollis wasn't like the rest of them. He had been one of the few members of her house to stick up for her and some of the other students when they were in trouble. Not to mention that he was also responsible for the growing number of offensive and defensive spells that she knew.

"I think a friend of mine may be in trouble."

"A friend?" Hollis inquired. "So, is that the reason why you hit our Quidditch Captain with a brimstone hex?"

"A brimstone hex? I..." she shook her head, not sure what he had accusing her of.

"Yes, a brimstone hex. You singed his hand pretty good, and top of that you did it without even get a mark on yourself. That's not like lighting a candle or a fireplace. That is some advanced magic, and you even use you wand to pull it off. But we will have to have a talk about that later. Now, tell me about this friend business."

-

She explained everything to Hollis. Running into Hermione in the bathroom, staying the entire class period with her. He asked her why she didn't try to get her. And told her that she could have slipped out of line easily when everyone else was going back to the dorms. That made her feel guilty. In all honestly she didn't think that she would have been able to slip away. As it was she barely made it to Professor McGonagall.

After Hollis had escorted her back into their common room, she slipped into the female dorm and went into her room. Everyone was in the common room. The feast that had loaded down their table in the Great Hall had been sent down. While she was hungry, Agena really didn't feel like eating.

That and the sour look she got from Flint and the other members of the Quidditch team. She was struck with the possibility that she could receive some sort of retaliation from him or other members of the team. But with the common room being as full as it was, and with another prefect was tending to Flint's injury with a bowl of ice water. It was unlikely that he would seek revenge, or at least seek revenge tonight.

Daphne had tried to get her to come out and join her and some of the others. Also she wanted to be told what had happened. But Agena wasn't feeling up to it. She was so worried over what had become of Hermione. She just promised Daphne that she would tell her what had happened later.

Agena began to brood. What was Professor Quirell thinking? Surely that was something he could have taken care of it. And how does a troll get into the dungeons anyway? She had been up and down these corridors for months, and there were no direct way into the dungeons from outside of the castle. The Great Hall was on what was considered to be the first floor. But there was lower level beneath that. But that lower level was hardly a dungeon. It had entry ways to outside the castle, large windows, and also the kitchens were suppose to be on that level. Now the level below that was where the dungeons started. And they had no direct access to the outside. Unless...

There was dungeon level below the dungeons beneath them. But it was like an unfinished potion of the school. Like maybe it had been started, and then left uncompleted for one reason or another. And nobody really went down there, because the hallways where always half flooded. And given the water marks on the rough stone walls, as well as the brackish smell of the water, it was likely that those corridors connected somehow, to the lake and the castle's sewer system.

So it could have been might be possible for a River Troll to get into the castle that way. But even then Professor Quirell taught Defense Against the Dark Arts, surely a troll should be too much trouble. It didn't matter if it was a River Troll or a Mountain Troll, it shouldn't be an obstacle for a qualified wizard.

There was something about him that she just did not like. It wasn't anything that she could name, but for some reason being around him made goosebumps rise on her arms. And there was that smell too. Like he had something horrible underneath that turban.

An hours later, the meal that had been brought to the common room had been largely devoured. From in her room she could hear other girls filtering back to there rooms to resume their talking or their homework. Daphne popped in for a moment and tried again to see if she could tempt Agena into a game of Exploding Snap, with some of the other girls. But Agena declined offer.

Daphne was about to leave, when there was a sudden knock on their open door. Standing in the doorway was Annette Yaxley. She was a tall and skinny blond from a pureblood family. She was also the other 5th year prefect.

"Agena." she called out in concerned manner. She had a soothing tone to her voice. In many ways she reminded her of Nymphadora. "Professor Snape, wants to have a word with you."

_Bullocks_.

Agena got up from her bed, and followed the blond. Daphne gave her a worried look. But Agena just waved her off, assured her that she would tell her everything when she got back. If she got back.

Agena paused when they reached the common room. The chamber was almost empty, just a few of the older students remained. Professor Snape sat in a high backed chair in front of the large coffee table that was in the center of the room. Next to him in another chair was Marcus Flint, his hand was wrapped in a bandaged now.

Flint wore a murderous look on his face.

"Go on." Annette instructed, giving her a pat on her back. Against one of the walls, was Hollis, he gave her an affirming nod.

Agena's feet felt like lead as she approached the head of her house. She tried not to look at Flint.

"Ms. Culverin." Professor Snape he acknowledged with a curt nod. Agena felt a nervous flutter in her chest. "I understand that you warned Professor McGonagall about one of her students."

Agena just nodded, she wasn't sure if she should speak or not.

"It was fortunate that you did. The Professor arrived just in time to find a fully grown Mountain Troll swinging it's club around the room. If she hadn't shown up, it probably would have killed the girl and those two fools who tried to rescue her."

"um, Fools, sir? "

"Yes. It seems that two other Gryffindors, made an attempt to save her." The Professor continued. "Despite their idiocy, Professor McGonagall saw fit to _reward_ them ten points a piece, for their _bravery_." His face looked slightly bitter as he said that. "Likewise, she saw fit to reward you ten points as well. By going to her, you may very well have prevented the deaths of three students."

Agena felt a wave of relief wash over her. She didn't care so much for the points, although she might be willing to celebrate that sometime later. But knowing that Hermione was alright... wait he only said they were alive. She could be alive, but all bandaged up in the hospital wing.

"Was anyone injured, sir?" She asked hopefully.

"You mean, was anyone injured, besides our Quidditch Captain?"

Agena winced.

"No Ms. Culverin," He said with a bitter tone in his voice, "Neither that girl, nor her would-be rescuers received anything more than a few scrapes and bumps. That however, brings me to another manner."

He nodded at the young man in the chair next to him.

"From what I've been told you didn't use your wand, so I'll assume that this was an accident."

"um, Yes sir." Agena nodded in a tiny voice.

"Where did you learn the spell that you used?"

"I...I didn't, sir" she shook her head nervously.

"I find that difficult to believe, Ms. Culverin. The nature of the spell you used isn't something you just cast. The only place you can even learn about a brimstone hex would be in Restricted Section of the Library. You haven't been sneaking into the Restricted Section have you?

"n-No Sir!" Agena shook her head.

"Because spells like that are both powerful and highly advanced magic. It One could even say that they border into the realms of Dark Magic."

"I'm s-sorry sir... but I don't know any spells that do that... after he drew his wand, I... I just wanted him to let me go."

For the briefest of moments Agena felt a brief spike of pain, right between her eyes. And then it was gone, however she was left feeling slightly dizzy. She began to think that she shouldn't have skipped out on dinner.

"Very well." Professor Snape said, he brought a hand up and began to rub the bridge of his nose. "Just be mindful of you magic in the future, consider this a warning. You are dismissed."

Agena was a little surprised, she was certain that she was about to be punished in some way. Even the boy next to him looked flabbergasted. Agena had been effectively let off of the hook. She immediately turned and started to head back to her room. Not wasting anytime she turned around to return to her room.

From behind her she heard. Flint began to protest.

"But sir, you said..."

"Quiet Marcus. I've changed my mind." Was the Professor's response. If that was how he felt, Agena wasn't about to stick around and wait for the Professor to change his mind again.

Standing side by side, against the wall that was between the entrances to both the male and female dorms, was both Annette and Hollis. That had watched the whole thing. Agena received a smile from Annette, while the boy next to her gave her a nod.

Agena returned their gestures, before running off to her room. She needed to tell finally tell Daphne what had happened today. But also she now something to think about. It was a fully grown Mountain Troll. And there was no way a creature of that size could have entered the castle though the lower dungeons. And consider how long the feast had been going on before, Quirell ran into the Great Hall. Someone from Slytherin would have seen it or smelt it while on their way up from their dorms.

Professor Quirell had lied

-

**Author's Note:** I was a little longer between updates this time. But that's just how life is sometimes. Like the last chapter I was trying to create a moment between Agena and Hermione. To establish them as something beyond acquaintances. I was very tempted to have Agena face the troll, along with Hermione. But certain things that happened in PS must happen. And eventually before the school year is out Agena will at least meet one additional member of the Golden Trio. Although I bet if you look at the character filter I'm sure you will be able to guess. Also Agena's description of the 'lower dungeons' will come back at some point in the future. I'll try to start the next chapter in a few days and hopefully finish it before Deathly Hallows is out.

Well,I believe that it everything. So, show me some love and reviewing.


	9. Chapter 08 Year 1

**Agena**

**JErosion**

**Chapter 08 – Twelve Years Ago This Day – Year 1**

With a sudden start, Agena started to scream, or at least she attempted to. The heavy weight that had dropped on top of her, or she could say, _crashed_ on top of her, had effectively knocked all of the air out of her lungs. If that wasn't enough, the "_heavy object_" then wrapped her arms around Agena's neck.

Agena had learned a long time ago to take in a deep breath and brace herself, when ever she saw her roomate running up to her. Daphne's hugs, often left her feeling as if several of her bones had been dislocated. However this morning Agena had no forewarning, as she was in the middle of a rather odd dream. In it she was in a forest and she was following something that was dark and crept along the ground like a shadow. The oddest thing about the dream was the forest itself, it wasn't one she was familiar with. As for the thing that she was following? She had no idea what it was. But as was the nature of dreams, they faded quickly as she awoke. Which was much how the amount of oxygen that was reaching her brain, was fading.

"da-Daph-neee! I-I can't breath!" Agena managed to croaked out weakly.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" her captor sang, with a final squeeze. Daphne then bounced off of her, making the whole bed rock in it's alcove.

After coughing a few times, she sat up and she found herself staring straight at Daphne's overly cheerful face. Agena sighed. It was difficult to become angry with Daphne. Although, it _was_ very easy to become frustrated with her. For the life of her she couldn't fathom how anyone could be so happy, so early in the morning.

"Morning Daphne." she muttered, running a hand through her hair.

Daphne clapped her hands exuberantly and then picked up a rectangular box that Agena hadn't noticed until then. And then Daphne trust the parcel towards her with so much zeal, that she nearly made Agena fall over.

With some caution, Agena accepted the package from her roommate. The box was wrapped in what looked a lot like the front page of the Daily Prophet. Agena felt an odd sort of pull in her chest, as she realized exactly what she was holding. The paper crinkled under her fingers. It wasn't as if Agena was going to forget what day it was. She just didn't expect Daphne to get her anything.

But at the same time she realized that this would be her first birthday she would ever spend away from Andromeda and Nymphadora... No that wasn't true. For her very first birthday she was still with her mother. Not that she could truly remember anything about that time.

"Well?" Daphne prompted. "Are you going to open it?"

Agena just smiled at her, and began to pick at a corner of the paper. A second later she was pulling off the lid of a cardboard box, to reveal a pair of dark green slippers. They were just like a pair that Daphne owned, although Daphne's were a much brighter shade of purple.

"I hope the color is alright? I know, how you don't like anything thats was too flashy."

"You really didn't have to." Agena said with some apprehension. It wasn't about the color. "These must have been expensive."

Daphne shook her head.

"Not a worry. Cost isn't an issue. And besides it's something you need. Especially on a morning like this." Daphne then move to the edge of the bed and peered out through the opening in the curtain. Agena followed suit and pulled her privacy curtain opened.

"uh,... Daphne?" Agena asked, confused at what she was seeing as she looked out into their room. "What happened?"

"I dunno. It was that way when I got up. So it was probably a good thing, that I got you some slippers." Daphne then pointed a finger towards the door. "But I do believe that message is meant for you."

Except for a trail of foot prints that ran from Daphne's bed to her own, their floor was covered in what appeared to be a thin layer of ice. And right in front of their door, scribed in a neat handwriting, was a simple greeting that made Agena's brow furrow.

_Happy Birthday_

_-P-_

"hmmm, I guess she remembered too." Agena muttered with annoyance.

"Who did?"

"Pansy. My Aunt use to go and have tea with her mother. So I've gone to a few of her birthday parties, and she been to some of mine. The real shame of it was that neither my Aunt nor her mother noticed that we couldn't stand each other. Come to think of it, I think they hated each other too."

"Oh." Daphne said, then after a moment Daphne giggled.

"What is it?"

"Well, I was thinking," Daphne grinned. "Pansy is probably expecting you to try to do something to get even."

"Probably." Agena agreed.

"So, I was thinking that what you should do, is walk straight up to her. Don't say anything about the floor, but instead, just look her right in the eye. And then pull her into a big hug. And thank her for remembering your birthday."

Agena to look at her as if she had gone mad. But as mental as Daphne's suggestion was, there was a sort of brilliance to it. Pansy had to have, put some effort into finding a spell that would do this. Knowing what kind of perfectionist that she was, she would have practiced the spell over and over to make sure she got it right. And then she probably had to stay up all night, waiting for them to go to sleep.

"ooooooh... That's good."

Daphne giggled.

Agena pulled her curtain open all the way and reaching into the small nightstand that was near the head of her bed to retrieve her wand. A few whispered words and a stream of hot air came flying out of her wand, both melting and drying portions of their floor.

"Well, since we are up. I'd say it's time for some breakfast." Daphne said, now venturing out, onto the now fixed floor.

"Alright." Agena agreed trying on her new slippers. The fuzzy material, felt warm against her feet. "Hey, Daphne. Thanks, they are re... al... "

Her roommate wrapped her arms around her in another crushing embrace.

"d-Daphne... Air!"

-

The dungeons always felt cool. But now that winter had descended upon the countryside, the air the dungeons became cold enough that your could see come out in little puffs. Outside the castle, the grounds were covered with a layer snow at least three inches thick. Which may have been one of the reasons why they chose to go up to the Great Hall though what was commonly called the 'food' stairwell. It was called that because of all of the nature of the decorations that adorn the walls. The wizards that occupied the paintings, all busied themselves with various cooking activities. Some kneaded dough, others stirred pots, and some even ran from picture to picture helping the various chefs as they cooked. And as one would expect form a place were so much cooking was going on, it was very warm there.

About halfway up, Agena paused in front of a large and rather peculiar painting of a large overflowing bowl of fruit that looked like it was sitting on a table. It really was a odd picture. And while the occupants of the other painting drifted from one frame to another, none of them seemed to enter this painting. Her eyes fell upon a green pear, had fallen out of it's container.

Agena felt a tiny little prickle, as she stared at it. It was just a pear in a painting. Nothing special about it. But to Agena, it was just odd. She couldn't say what bothered her about it. It was just so odd sitting there. Agena reached out with a finger, intent on giving the wayward fruit a poke. What could it hurt? It was just a piece of canvas. There was nothing in the rules that said you couldn't touch the paintings.

"Agena?" Daphne called out, she had walked up several steps before realizing that her roommate had fallen behind. "What are you doing?"

Agena quickly shook her head and dropped her hand. She could feel the heat rise in her face, like she had just been caught doing something that she wasn't suppose to do. Even though she was fairly certain, that there were no rules against that. At least she didn't think there was.

"Nothing." She laughed awkwardly, hopped up several steps to join the other girl. "That painting just looked funny."

Daphne gave her a rather blank look, and then leaned in and said.

"I know what you mean. It's just like those potatoes over there in that painting," she pointed to a picture that was up ahead of them. "And I think they've been looking at us."

Daphne then ran up the steps, stopping a few feet past the said painting.

"See! It's eyes! They follow me!"

Agena groaned, as her roommate burst out laughing.

"Daphne that was awful!"

"That it may be. But that hasn't stopped you from smiling!"

She had a point.

"Besides." she said. "If you start touching the artwork, I bet old Filch, will pop out and start blubbering about breaking rules and how he is doing to string you up in shackles... by your thumbs!"

The both started to laugh.

When the two of them reached the Great Hall, they found that the chamber largely empty. Their table was only spotted by a few groups this early. The largest of these groups looked to be the Quidditch team and their auxiliaries. After last weeks defeat to Gryffindor, Flint not wanting to repeat the game had, begun to drill his team awfully hard.

Since Halloween, Agena found that she was not welcome anywhere near the team. It wasn't like she had intended to hurt Flint, she had just wanted him to let her go. It wasn't like she had wanted Slytherin to lose the game or anything. And with the brutally efficient way they were playing, she had expected them to win. But ti seems that wasn't the case.

It turned out that the stunt, that Draco had pulled during their broom flying class, had landed Harry Potter the Seeker position on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. The boy was really good on a broom, not to mention he was also flying on a Nimbus 2000. Agena admittedly, had never been a big fan of flying. She was more than content to keep her feet placed firmly on the ground, thank you very much. Yet there was another part of her that would have liked the opportunity to fly on such a high performance broom like that. If only once.

But something odd had also happened during the game. While Potter was flying high above the field, his broom, started to jerk violently. At first it looked like it he might have been goofing around, but when the broom had bucked him hard enough, that he swung off the side and was left hanging off the broom by just his hands. It was obvious what was happening, someone was jinxing his broom. But with all of the anti-tampering charms that are suppose to be on the Nimbus, it should have been almost impossible to do.

That meant that somewhere in the stands, there was a wizard or witch, who was powerful enough, not only to be able to jinx a supposedly unjinxable broom, but one who was powerful enough that they could do it without drawing a wand. Yet as soon as it had begun, it ended. The boy then managed to get back up on his broom, and then win the game for his team.

Wishing to avoid the glower and gloom that was near the head of the Slytherin table, both Agena and Daphne moved towards the opposite end of the table, were another group of early risers was seated. Between the glasses of orange juice and the plates of toast, a card game was in progress. Daphne perked up for a moment, seeing the cards on the table. But she quickly deflated seeing what the three seated were playing.

Daphne was very found of Exploding Snap. That game was loud and the more players you had, the more fun it usually was to play. Aside from a properly enchanted deck of cards the only thing you really needed in order to play, was fast reflexes. Generally it was a great icebreaker for a small crowd. However after a few rounds, most people preferred to play a game that required a little more thinking, like Lightening Jar _(or Lightening Rummy, depending on who you asked)._

There were other games, some more popular in the different houses, than others. Agena knew that the Ravenclaws played a magical variation of Euchre. But in her house, there was a game called _Headstones_. It was an odd game that was meant specifically for three players. The true goal of that game was to use your cards to figure out what you opponents had, and then use their cards against them. To win players had to be both cleaver and tenacious. In a way it was the perfect game for Slytherins to play.

Judging from Tracy Davis's slouched posture, Agena guessed that her score was probably in the negative. Not that you could really tell with her. The girl was horribly shy, and always spoke in a timid voice. Tracy also had a bad habit of hiding her face with her long blond hair. But then again Davis was one of those unfortunate Slytherins who was very self-conscious about their half-blood status. Agena hoped that she would eventually get over that. She spent so much time worrying about what others thought of her, that she rarely relax enough just to be herself.

Besides, she would never earn the respect of pure-bloods like Parkinson or Bulstrode, if she followed them around and agreed with everything they said. But the fact that she was already here, and not sitting with any of their house's pure-blooded members was a good sign. Maybe there was hope for her after all.

Across the table and to Tracy's left, was Jeroma Lyubitshka. Jeroma was an odd girl, during the first month or so of the school year Agena never heard her laugh or seen her smile. It wasn't that the girl was shy or anything, she was just a little introverted. It was only though Daphne's prodding that the girl seem to open up. Apparently her family was Roma, and traveled a great deal, never really staying long in one place. Her parents picked up odd jobs here and there. But because they moved so often, her family really didn't have much money. Jeroma was only able to attend Hogwarts though a special scholarship that was available to students, who like her, didn't have the means to pay for the tuition or books. So most of her things were second hand and not in the best condition.

Jeroma did earn Agena's respect. One day, a second year boy from their house, started to tease her about the condition of her robes. And Jeroma, without so much as a warning, she spat in the boy's eyes and then punched him in the face right as he started to reel back. Fortunately some of the prefects jumped in before any wands could be drawn or before... before she could hurt the boy any further.

The remaining player at the game was a visitor from the Hufflepuff table. Hiram Fiske, was what Hollis liked to call '_A Badger with teeth_.' Unlike many of the others in his house, he wasn't easily intimidated, and he always had a witty remark to retort with. Also he had a certain enthusiasm when it came to games. Cards, dice, Wizard Chess, Gobstones, he knew how to play everything and he was really good too. He probably would have made a fine addition to the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, but he had something wrong with his right leg. It was like he couldn't really bend that knee. As a result Hiram walked with a heavy limp, that more suitable for someone of far more advanced years.

"Good Morning. Ms. Culviren. Ms. Greengrass." Hiram nodded, before returning to his hand.

Tracy turned towards them, a single blue eye briefly appeared from between her bangs, but quickly disappeared again. She muttered a quiet hello. Jeroma gave both of them a nod.

"And a good morning to you, Mr. Fiske." Agena returned as she sat down next to Tracy. "So, what's the score so far?"

"Three." Jeroma said, playing a card down from her hand.

"Twelve." Hiram volunteered, with a grin.

"How'd you manage to get into the double digits?" Agena asked with some disbelief. Although she wasn't entirely surprised.

"Good cards." was all he said, before he made his play.

If it where possible, Tracy seemed to shrink even further as he laid his card out on the table.

"Tracy? How how you doing?"

"Negative five..." She responded almost sounding faint. "...again".

Ouch. Negative five was as low as any score was allowed to drop to. Daphne patted her back sympathetically, she didn't care much Headstones either. While Daphne was pretty good at reading people, but she did rather lousy during these games. She had trouble focusing on both what was in her hand and what was opponents were doing.

"Since we have new arrivals, anyone want to switch to a a different game?" Hiram offered sounding rather diplomatic.

"May as well," Jeroma said, throwing her hand down. "This is getting embarrassing."

Daphne suggested Exploding Snap, but got quickly voted down. It just wasn't a game for the breakfast table. However they did start a game of Lightening Rummy, while they ate their breakfast. Whenever a player put the wrong combination of red and black cards, they would be _rewarded_ (or punished) their bearer with a mild shock. This happened enough times, that the static was causing the hair on their heads to stand on end.

"Isn't a little early for the post?" Hiram asked, looking up at the ceiling.

Agena looked up and spotted, an enormous gray and white owl. It was Ewan, her Aunt's owl, and he was carrying a large parcel. With a heavy thud, Ewan and his cargo landed on the table. Agena had learned a long time ago that Ewan was a surly and unapologetic. Like right now, his landing managed to upset their card game, break two plates and even tip over a glass of orange juice. You really couldn't complain or scold him about his landings, because he would merely look at you as though it was your fault that those objects were in his way in the first place.

This was one of the reasons why he came in now. Traditionally the owls wouldn't be delivering any of the post for at least another half-hour. But Ewan seemed to feel that his time was valuable and he didn't have the patience to wait for anyone.

Ewan hooted at her in a deep voice and trust his leg in her direction. Agena quickly reached out to untied an envelope that was attached to his leg. It was best to hurry before Ewan hooted again, as the bird did not like to repeat himself. As soon as he was free of his message, Ewan stepped off of the package, and helped himself to a large strip of bacon, plate before taking off again.

"Hey! I was going to eat that!" Daphne called after the owl, but Ewan paid her no heed as he flew his way out of the Great Hall. Daphne then turned to her and said. "He is rather ungrateful bird."

"Definitely. " Agena agreed with a nod. "You should see the way he acts at home." She moved her delivery off to the side so Hiram could collect his cards. Breaking the wax seal of the envelope, Agena pulled out what appeared to be a muggle birthday card. The front had a picture showing a girl that was about to blow out the candles on a cake. Inside, Agena recognized her Aunt's calligraphy. Knowing her family it was probably Nymphadora's idea to get the card. She smiled as she read the what her Aunt had written. She even blushed a little. And she could even feel a little tightness in her throat as her eye's reached then end. Both her Aunt and Nymphadora had signed their names. Andromeda signature was as crisp as the rest of the card, Nymphadora, name was written a lot messier. But the most touching of all was was the name written in a shaky and arthritic letters.

Feezy, tired so very hard. But things were getting more and more difficult for the old house elf. And aleast once every couple of months Feezy would ask her Aunt if it was time she joined the other elves at the Black Manor. Her Aunt would just assured the elf, that she still had many years to go, and that she would have none of that other nonsense. Whatever that meant. But to Agena, Feezy was more than just an ailing house-elf, she was the one thing that she had, that belonged to her mother. Not that she liked to think of Feezy as a possession. But aside from her, she didn't have any other mementos of any kind. Even though her mother had done things horrible enough to be locked away in Azkaban for life, it would have been nice to have something.

This line of thought also made her think of her father. She had to wonder, what kind of man was he. She was pretty sure he was the reason that she was a Parselmouth. But beyond that she knew nothing. Was he handsome? Brave? Passionate? Did her mother fall in love with him? He must have been great, in some way. Enough that her mother would engage in an act of infidelity.

"Your spacing out again." Daphne's voice came, breaking her out of her thoughts. "What the matter? Does the card have a picture of _strange_ looking fruit in it?"

Agena quickly closed the card and stuck her tongue out at the girl as she started to giggle. Agena ignored the bewildered look that crossed the faces of some of their companions. Agena was in no mood to explain her feelings regarding the painting in that stairwell. Instead she moved on to the box Ewan had brought her.

The first thing Agena found as she looked inside, was a large tin. She wasted no tie pulling the metal lid off. The insides were loaded with a variety of Feezy's cookies. Taking one for herself she then set the tin on the table so other could take some, before she turned her attention to some of the other items that where in the box.

Agena grinned as she moved aside a layer of tissue paper. It was the new Lockhart book, _Voyages with Vampires._ Daphne perked up and immediately told her that she would have to loan it to her, when she was though. Underneath another layer of tissue paper was another book and a pair of long box. The black leather-bound book, that was blank inside. Looking into the two boxes, one of them contained an assortment of graphite and charcoal pencils, along with sharpener and erasers. The other box had a bit of a surprise in it. It was a set of calligraphy pens like Hollis had.

"These was so good, did your Aunt make them?" Daphne asked. She was working on her third.

"No. Our house-elf makes them."

"You have a house-elf?" Tracy asked with a bit of awe, she was still nibbling on her first cookie. House-elves were often associate with very old and very rich pure-blood families. There wasn't anyone else to carry on the Black name, well there was one, but he was also rotting away in Azkaban like her mother was.

"Yes we do, but she is really old now."

"So, what's the occasion?" Hiram asked.

"Well," Daphne said, choosing to answer for her. "Today is our dear, Agena's birthday."

"Is it now, well congratulations, Ms. Culverin."

"And thank you, Mr. Fiske."

Agena then found another thing that was underneath the pen and pencil sets. It was a large envelope. She nearly gasped when she pulled out what was inside.

"What is it." she heard Daphne ask her, to which Agena could only reply by setting the photograph she held onto the table. Daphne leaned in, as did Jeroma and Hiram, as they peered across the table at the picture.

"They're pretty." Tracy whispered.

"They really are." Daphne agreed. "Agena, who are they?"

The photograph featured three young women, that were sitting on what looked like a garden bench. They smiled, giggled, and leaned into one another in sisterly displays of affection. The picture was in a sepia tone, not that the photo was really that old. But it was just made that way, to look like an antique picture.

"Well, the one in the middle, Agena said pointing at the picture. "Is my Aunt Andromeda, she's the one that I live with."

"The giggly blond, thats leaning on her shoulder, is my Aunt Narcissa. I've never really met her, but she it turns out that she just happens to be the mother of none other than, Draco Malfoy."

"Your kidding." Daphne baulked.

"Afraid not."

"It's hard to believe that your related to that toad?" Hiram grumbled, with a frown. Obviously the two of them had already met.

"Trust me, I have trouble believing it." Agena shrugged. She then looked at the third and oldest of the group. She very beautiful. Not to say that she was prettier than her sisters. It was just that her beauty was different than the others. She had the same pale skin and the same dark and slightly curly hair, that Agena saw so often the mirror. The shape of her face and her thin mouth, were all the same as hers. She didn't smile like the other two did, nor did she giggle or laugh the same way with them. But the same joy was present in her heavy-lidded eyes. The only thing that she really didn't share with her mother was her eyes. The ones she had must have come from her father. "And that person right there, happens to be my mother."

There was a few wows from the group. She quickly took back the picture before anybody could start make comparisons. Or before they could start asking questions. She didn't want to have to deal with the question of what had happened to her mother. She felt embarrassed showing as much to them as she did. Agena began to put away her newly acquired gifts, when she noticed something that would herald the end of what had been a relatively good morning.

"I have to wonder, just what a _Puff _thinks he's doing, sitting at _our _table." A voice drawled nastily.

Agena took a deep breath as the atmosphere around there part of the table changed. As far as she was concerned, it didn't matter who sat at their table. When other students from the other houses sat with and visited friends from another house, nobody told them to go away. Why should the Slytherin table be different.

As for Hiram, being the unusually defiant Hufflepuff that he was, elected to put his mouth to good use.

"Well if you were to actually put some thought into it, I'm sure you'd be able to come up with a reason."

Next to her, Agena could see shocked reactions from both Daphne and Tracy. Jeroma looked between Hiram and the newcomers with the sort of macabre interest people get when they pass one of those muggle automobile collisions. Nobody in Slytherin House spoke to Malfoy that way. Even, when they got tired of watching his impression of Harry Potter, as he clung to his broom during the Quidditch match.

"Pardon?!" Draco said, clearly having heard the insult. He obviously didn't expect a Hufflepuff, to talk ever talk back to him. "I don't believe I heard you."

"Oh, don't mind me." Hiram dismissed, in an apologetic manner. "I just came over for a nice, friendly chat. You know about having friends don't you? You know, people you don't have to buy or intimidate... People who just like you for who you are. "

Agena snorted. Judging from what Hiram had just said, he probably already had some confrontation with Draco this year. And Draco, looked absolutely livid. And those two boulders that followed Draco everywhere. Well, there faces were scrunched up in such a manner that suggested that they were trying to figure out if that was an insult or not.

Draco's eyes glared at all of them, as if it were there fault that he was be insulted. Agena didn't care if Draco was angry at her. Jeroma since she was grinning, thought much the same. Poor Tracy however, looked like she was about to fall off her seat. This was like a nightmare situation for her. She wanted so desperately to be accepted by pure-bloods like Draco and Pansy that she laughed when they laughed and got angry at, whoever they got angry at. It was probably some nonsense that got drilled into her head by her parents.

"You should take care, to watch what you say," Draco drawled. "You might suddenly find yourself having another little _accident,_ like you did the other day, except it could happen when you on the stairs."

Agena had found Hiram comments to be funny little pokes. But Draco didn't respond with humor. In fact that was an all out threat. Behind him, uncertain looks crossed the faces of Crabbe and Goyle. They might be willing to beat up somebody, but doing what Draco was hinting at, may have been a little beyond them.

It would be really easy to run to a teacher right now. Or seek help from any prefect, no matter what house they were from. But that wasn't the way you did things. You watched and waited, and in cases like this you slip your hand into your robes and slid your fingers around your wand.

"Well, that's good to know." Hiram started, the carefree tone he used when he spoke earlier was gone. "It's good to know, that Draco Malfoy feels like a man, when he purposely trips a cripple."

Hiram's whole body jerked and from the way his face twisted up, Agena was certain that he would have screamed. But Hiram kept his lips together, and resulting sound was little more than a muffled yelp. That spoiled little wretch just kick Hiram's bad knee.

"That's enough!" Agena had stood and had pulled her wand from her robes. But held it close to her body, she dare not draw attention to herself by openly pointing it at him. "I recommend that you leave, right now!"

"Really? Just what do you think your doing? I've seen you running around here chumming it up with mudbloods and these pathetic Hufflepuffs. I don't think I'm the one that should be going anywhere. At least I belong in Slytherin! They should have dumped you in another house."

Agena face darkened. Maybe that was true, that she shouldn't be in Slytherin. But the sorting hat told that this was were she belonged. _All Heirs must return to their house._

"I'm more Slytherin than you think." she flexed her fingers around her wand. "But you should move on down the table, I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you..."

"Oh what's that suppose to mean?" Draco crossed his arms. His right hand had also slipped into his robes, no doubt to ready himself to draw his own wand. His two buddies, not being as quick as most people, didn't move arm themselves. They just continued to glower at her.

"Why don't you go ask Marcus Flint, if the hair has grown back on his arm or not. You see when I flash fried his arm, I didn't use my wand. I'm kind of interested in seeing what this spell could do to someone, when it is at full power. I imagine it would be a lot like standing in front of an angry dragon."

It was a total bluff. She had no idea how to repeat what she had done to their quidditch captain. But Draco didn't know that. And with any luck, just implying that she could do the spell again, but do it with far greater force and accuracy, might just be what she needed to get his to back off.

"y-You can't do anything like that." Draco sneered, his voice lost a bit of the confidence it had just a moment ago. Because everyone in there house had seen what she had done to Flint. His arm was left hairless and a splotchy pink. "You told Professor Sna-"

"I told Professor Snape, what he needed to hear."

"Your l-lying!"

"Do you really want to see if I can?" She countered forcefully, "Because poor Auntie Narcissa, would be _so_ heartbroken when they have to return her son to her, in a itty-bitty little urn."

At the mention of his mother a flare of anger returned to his eyes. But instead of continuing to press on with his bigoted attacks, he took a step back, and motioned the two that were behind him to follow. Agena kept her eyes on them as they slowly retreated. It was only after he had passed out of ear shot that anyone spoke.

"Agena!" Daphne said awe struck. "You!.. Draco!.. I've never seen anybody stand up to him like that... And I thought you said that spell you cast on Flint was an accident!"

"Daphne!" Agena hussed, bringing a finger up to her lips and sitting back down. "It _was_ an accident, its just that right now, he doesn't know that it was."

Around the table, the reaction of those seated near her was that of shock. But soon their group was filled with quiet laughter as they realized that Agena had just tricked Malfoy. Tracy didn't laugh, but when her eyes reappeared from between her golden locks, and they held something glimmer of reverence in them.

"You alright, Mr. Fiske?" Agena asked, shifting the attention towards the Hufflepuff. Across from her the boy smiled sadly.

"Not really, but seeing him shuffle off, with his tail between his legs, does make me feel a touch better," he said, his hands where rubbing that knee.

"You know, Madame Pomfrey, might be able to do something." But Hiram just shook his head.

"Not everything can be fixed with a wave of a wand or a sip of a potion." He then used the table, to help push himself up. "Well, it's about time for me to take my crippled arse back to my table."

He was about to limp away. when he turned and nodded towards Agena.

"Thank you for that and have a Happy Birthday."

Agena just nodded back.

-

It was with gales of laughter that both Agena and Daphne stumbled out of the Great Hall. She did it, just as Daphne had suggested this morning in their room. And the confused and bewildered look on Pansy's face was, probably the best gift that she could have given herself.

Earlier that morning, not to long after Agena's confrontation with her cousin. Pansy Parkinson walked into the Great Hall. It was kind of late when she had walked in. but that was understandable given her recent nocturnal activities.

Agena had gotten up from the table to return with her gifts to her dorm. As soon as Pansy had saw her approaching, she stood back with her arms crossed and a smirk on her smug face. No doubt she was readying herself with a few, carefully selected phrases.

But as Daphne suggested, Agena waved at her and smiled warmly as they walked on past her. Pansy looked like she had been slapped.

For the rest of the day Agena, avoided her childhood antagonist. Slipping in and out of the dormitories, and various unused classrooms. Finding quiet places to start her new book. Normally Agena would have stopped to say a few choice words to that girl. And Pansy had also expected her to as well.

But deny her this, seemed to have irked her to no end. Pansy then chaanged her tactics as well, by trying to provoke some sort of reaction and started with making a few derogatory things about her family. Yet Agena abstain for biting back.

It wasn't until dinner that even that she had bothered to confront Pansy. Of course the last thing that she had expected was the for Agena to walk up behind her and gave her a hug, as well as planted a kiss on her cheek. Before she let go she thanked Pansy for remembering what day it was.

As she ran out of the Great Hall, along with Daphne, she looked back at Pansy. She was still sitting there looking at her plate, with an exhausted look on her face. Another girl that was next to her, was talking and shaking her shoulder. Pansy didn't seem to notice.

It was at that point both Agena and Daphne began to laugh.

"Well you two seem to be in high spirits."

Both Agena and Daphne looked over to the source of the statement, to find Hermione Granger walking towards them. Standing near the archway behind her, were two familiar and somewhat surprising forms. Agena smiled.

Hermione had come a long way from that girl, who was crying in a corner of some bathroom stall. It was kind of odd what almost getting killed by a troll, could do to one's social standing. Before the Halloween incident, many from her own house regarded her as a unapproachable, or even as a pest. But how quickly things change. For a week she had suddenly become the center of attention. People clamored to her, hoping to hear her telling of what had happened. And Agena had to admit, it was a good story.

Poor Professor McGonagall must have gotten a few more white hairs, after running though that smashed bathroom door and finding not only a twelve foot Mountain Troll and a screaming Hermione Granger, but to also find that two of her other students had become mixed up into the fray. And those two students turned out to be none other than Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. Professor Quirrell's announcement, had prompted them to run and look for her, instead of returning to their dorm. And according to Hermione, Harry Potter had actually jumped onto the troll's back in an attempt to distract it.

The look of horror on McGonagall's face must have been immeasurable. The sight of one of her prized students hanging off a troll's neck, while Hermione and the redhead dodging the troll's club as the creature swung it around.

But even after the novelty of nearly being killed by a troll had worn off. Something good happened, people began to see Hermione for who she truly was. And for the first time, she was making the friends that she had been denied during her years at primary school. And it seemed that the two boy who had come to save her, had also become her very best friends.

It was ironic considered that those two boys had been the main source of grief for her, since even before the very beginning of the school year. And a shame too. Agena had already picked out a rather nasty curse to try on that Weasley boy for making Hermione cry.

However Agena couldn't help but feel a little jealous. The friendship that she had with Hermione would never be the same, as the relationship she shared with those boys. Theirs was just different. Most of their gatherings had taken the form of study groups in the library. And given the history and animosity between their two houses, made any other sort of meetings next to impossible.

"I suppose we are," Agena smiled.

"That's good. And your Daphne Greengrass?" Hermione questioned.

"On most days." Daphne shrugged. "But that usually depends on who is asking and for what reason."

"That's a good answer," Hermione smiled. Then studious Gryffindor turned back to Agena and held up cupcake that had pink icing on top, as well as a candle sticking out of it. "I heard it was you birthday... hold on a second."

Hermione touched the tip of her wand to the tip of the candle, igniting it. Agena blushed as she accepted the gesture.

"When did you find out?" she asked, blowing out the candle with a single puff.

"I heard it from Susan Bones and another Hufflepuff this morning."

"Oh, really? Did they say anything else about me?"

"I think they also mentioned something about you intimidating Malfoy over something," she stated in a curious manner.

Agena laughed, "I guess you can't do anything around here without it going all across the school."

"Probably not," Hermione agreed. "So, what did you do to him anyway?"

"Nothing really, I just threatened to incinerate him."

"Whoa, whoa. What do you mean incinerate him? That's hardly nothing." said a shocked Hermione. "What happen?"

"It's a bit a long story and I'm not sure if I can tell you the whole thing right now, since those two are starting to look impatient." Agena pointed toward the two that had come out of the Great Hall with her. "Well, at least the redhead is."

There was some truth in what Agena had said. A couple of meters behind Hermione, stood both Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. Both had their arms crossed as they looked over at the three of them. Weasley wore an annoyed expression, like any minute he was going to start walk right over and lecture them. He sort of looked like a shorter version of his older brother.

And by older brother she didn't mean the twins. Those two were actually fun to watch, as they carried on with their pranks. No, she was thinking of the one that was a prefect, and acted as if he had his wand jammed up his ass.

As for the other boy, he looked a little curious. Which meant both of them would question Hermione, about why she was talking to a pair of Slytherin girls. Which was a good thing. Not all Slytherins were like Draco and Pansy. And the more people who knew that the better.

"I suppose your right, but your going to have to tell me everything that happened, the next time we meet in the library."

"I assure you, I won't leave out a thing."

"And you shouldn't either," Daphne snickered. "What you did was legendary."

"Legendary?" Hermione arched an eyebrow. "I'm not sure, if I'll be able to wait for your story."

"Well it's not..." Agena's voice and smile died, as a sudden chill crawled up her neck like a spider.

"Agena?" Hermione asked carefully. Both her and Daphne were looking at her with concern. "Is something wrong?"

Agena didn't answer them, instead she quickly turned towards the direction of her unease.

Standing in an entryway, in back of her, was Professor Quirrell. For a moment she saw a sharp and dangerous glint in his eyes. But it was only for moment, and it was replaced with the timid and worrisome look that he always possessed.

"a-Ah, i-It's so en-encouraging to see st-students from Slytherin and gr-Gryffindor, getting a-along so well." He stuttered. He brought his shaky hands together, in a prayer like manner.

"Oh, Good evening, Professor Quirrell." Hermione greeted.

The Professor replied by making an odd squeak, giving a nervous wave as he circled around him to go into the Great Hall. But as soon as Agena was sure that he had moved out of ear shot, she muttered what she thought of her Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

"I don't like him."

"What?" Hermione asked immediately, in a low voice."

"There's something about him that I don't like. Something that I don't trust."

"How can you say that about Professor Quirrell? He is... nice..."

"And harmless."

"Well... I suppose you could say that." Hermione's cheeks colored. Agena could tell that Hermione didn't want to talk about a teacher in a negative manner, but there was a grain of truth in the statement.

"And what kind of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher could be harmless? Professor Dumbledore wouldn't hire someone like that. It's almost as if he is faking it."

"But why would anyone bother to do something like that?"

Agena had to debate weither or not she wanted to share her theory regarding the troll's appearance in the castle. She had mentioned it to Daphne, but her roommate just dismissed it as just conjecture. You couldn't accuse a teacher of doing something like that without proof. Not to mention, there was the question as to why? Why let a troll into the castle?

But before Agena could answer, there was another interruption.

"Ahem!" It was Ronald Weasley, who's face was very close to matching his hair in color. Next to him, Potter was saying something to him, but they were too far away to hear.

"Ah. Looks like your escort has spoken." Daphne observed with a lopsided smirk.

Hermione sighed. "I guess so."

"Well maybe it's best to we continue this in Library on Monday."

Hermione nodded, before say goodbye to both of them. And Agena was sure that they would continue this conversation. It would be nice to hear another opinion. Besides she was sure that Hermione would get a good laugh out of how she tricked her cousin.

-

**Author's Note:** I've noticed that each chapter has been getting larger and larger. I should say that this chapter wasn't what I had first started to write, the original chapter that I started to type went all the way into the start of the Christmas holidays, but after thinking about it a bit I decided to take a step back and do some more with the Slytherin house. I also introduced a few more characters.

**Tracy Davis**: is actually a canon character that is listed in some of Rowling's published notes. I thought I'd go with making her a shy little girl. I'll probably include her in more of Agena's and Daphne's in house shenanigans.

**Jeroma Lyubitshka**: I mentioned her in a previous chapter, by first name only.

**Hiram Fiske**: A Hufflepuff and I find myself liking his name. Hiram means "high-born" and was also the name a king. Fiske is a name meaning fisherman. Together they make an illusion to the legendary Fisher King or Wounded King. Which why I chose to give him the disability that I did.

**Ewan**: the surly owl.

_Exploding Snap_, is a card game mentioned in the books, if you don't know Snap is a game similar to Slapjack or Egyptian Ratscrew. I also threw out a couple of other games just for the fun of it. Euchre is a real game encase you are wondering. Lightening Rummy and Headstones, I tried not write too much about fictitious games as the story is about the characters, and not what they are playing.

Also I've got to ask if what Agena did to Draco and Pansy was too much, then again it also goes into proving that Agena belongs in Slytherin.

Please review and tell me what you think. Am I doing this right? Am I doing this wrong? Do I need to update again? Believe me I am lucky to get this out before Deathy Hallows. So Please Review!


	10. Chapter 09 Year 1

**Agena**

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**JErosion**

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**Chapter 09 – Visions of Erised – Year 1**

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With a sigh, she began to blot off the tip of her quill. She had just placed the finishing touches on one more thing that she wouldn't have to worry about over the break. A quick glance around the table, showed that she had been the first of the four gathered at their table to complete their essay.

Directly across from her, sat Hermione Granger, who's quill still scratched furiously at the scroll of parchment in front of her. And from the looks of things she was finishing out what appeared to be the third foot of her essay. Which was about a good foot and half more than what the assignment had required.

Agena smiled, somethings never change. Hermione by nature, was an overachiever. And the extra foot and a half that she had written, didn't take into account how small and tidy the script Hermione wrote in was. Agena had paid close attention to her as they worked on their homework. About every couple of inches of writing, Hermione would set down her quill and then flipped through the pages of one of the heavy books she had laid out in front of her. No doubt looking for some missing fact that she had to included.

The Gryffindor girl was fitting more into her essay that what the average student was willing to commit to. It was enough to encourage Agena to take another look over her own work to make sure she had gotten everything right. She wasn't lazy or anything. Her essay was close to two feet long. Granted, her hand writing was nowhere near as small as Hermione's. But there was only so much extra work that she was willing to put into a homework assignment. Maybe that was the Slytherin inside her. While doing extra work would increase her chances of making a '_O'_ on the essay, the important thing to remember was that you couldn't make a grade higher than _'Outstanding'_. And she rarely made anything less than an 'E' on any of her assignments.

And given that she would be would be going home tomorrow, she wasn't about to spend what was left of her afternoon revising a homework assignment, that wouldn't be due until they got back from the holidays. Not to mention that she promised Daphne that she would spend some time with her before dinner tonight.

And she had to admit, she was a little excited to be going home. She hadn't seen her Aunt or Nymphadora since the start of school. Agena even looked forward to seeing Feezy. She imagined that the poor house-elf was feeling much the same. And as soon as they made it home would probably grab a hold of her legs and start to crying over how happy she was, that her young mistress had returned to her.

"Finally!" pipped up a voice, that caused everyone at the table to look up.

Sitting to the right of Hermione, was a fellow Gryffindor, Parvati Patil. The girl had thrown her quill down and had slouched back in her chair with an exasperated sigh.

"Your getting ink everywhere." came the flat voice of Parvati's Ravenclaw counterpart.

"Two droplets of ink is hardly getting it everywhere."

"That's not the point, your making a mess." Padma Patil scolded.

"If I had wanted to make a mess, I would have done this." Parvati then flicked the top of her open ink well, and tipped it over, a rush of black ink immediately began to race across the table and towards her sister.

Agena then caught Hermione's eye, and they shared a knowing smile. Things like this was a common occurrence when both of the Patil sisters sat at the same table. They could work quietly together for some time, and then suddenly they would be arguing over something trivial. But with ink spilled on the table it was only a matter of time before they found themselves being kicked out of the library.

"What did you do that for?" Padma hissed, as she frantically tried to move her books and parchments out of the way of the on coming ink.

"I suddenly felt like making a mess." her sister replied with a smile.

"Oh, really?! Now what are you going to write with? I'm not lending you, any more of mine to waste."

"You mean waste, like this," Parvati quickly reached over and tipped over her sister's inkwell, spilling it's contents onto the table as well.

"_Parvati!_" Padma growled, her faced darkened.

"Like it matters," Parvati shook her head. "We'll be going home tomorrow."

"If you two keep that up, you'll invoke the wrath of Madame Pince" Hermione chimed in, interrupting Padma's on coming retort.

At that, all of them looked and over towards the Librarian's desk. True enough Madame Pince was looking over in their direction. And probably the only reason why she hadn't already marched over to where they sat, was the small line of students who were checking out books for the holidays.

"You two better clean this up," Hermione instructed. She stood up and began to put away things. "I'll try to delay her from coming over here."

Agena quickly followed her example put her text books away.

"I don't suppose that you are going to help us out?" Padma asked Agena, with a indignant tone. She seemed to be trying her hand at a cleaning spell. The tip of her wand only produced a flicker of white light and caused a faint wave to ripple across the surface of the ink.

Agena grinned and shook her head.

"You supposed right, I'm not going to help. Slytherins know better, than to get involved with arguing siblings."

Parvati stuck her tongue out at her.

Hermione then started to head towards the Madame Pince's desk. In her hands, she carried a particularly impressive tome. Agena followed quickly after her, leaving the Patil girls to sort themselves out.

"Your not actually going to check that out are you?" Agena asked Hermione as she came up to the side of her.

"Of coarse I am."

"But why?" Agena gaped.

"Oh, I'm... I'm just looking up a few things." she said quickly. "You know just a bit of light reading over the holidays."

"Light?"

Hermione gave a light laugh, "It's not as bad as it looks. Everything inside is written in a manner that is very easy to read and understand."

"If you say so," Agena looked at her in a skeptically. "I'd just say to be careful carrying around a thing like that, You might wind up hurting yourself."

"No, worries." Hermione assured, with a shake of her head and a laugh.

"Well, I guess I need to be heading back. I have to give all of my trunk a once over, and make sure I haven't missed anything."

"Alright. Well, in case I don't see you on the train tomorrow, have a Happy Christmas."

Agena smiled back at her. "Happy Christmas, Hermione."

She turned towards the exit of the library.

-

Outside of the Library, the corridors of the school were largely empty. Majority of the student body seemed content to stay in their dorms on a day like this. Not that Agena could really blame any of them for that. Outside of the castle, winter had tuned the school grounds into a snow-covered wasteland. Even the lake had become frozen over.

And with the Hogwarts Express taking them home tomorrow morning, most students were using this day as an opportunity to say their goodbyes, and wish their friends a Happy Christmas.

Agena stopped in front of a heavy wooden door and drew out her wand.

"_Alohomora._" she whispered. She was taking a shortcut though one of the unused classrooms. And to do that she had to enter what would have been the Professor's office, had the class room actually been in use. The office itself was only partially furnished. But aside from the empty shelfs and the heavy oak desk and chairs that was pushed up against the wall the room was bare. Agena imagined that this was one of those things that you weren't suppose to do. But the way she looked at it, she would be saving herself a good fifteen minutes of running around the castle. Hence the shortcut.

Agena wasn't certain why they even bothered to lock the unused offices like the did. Mayhap it was to keep some of the older students from using them as a clubhouse, or to keep out couples, who were looking for a quiet place to snog. They didn't teach the 'unlocking' charm in class. It was one of those spells that you had to learn on your own.

And in most cases that spell usually only powerful enough to unlock doors with mechanical locks. When it came to doors that were sealed by magical means, the effectiveness of the spell would largely depended upon the caster. And even then, certain sealing spells could only be undone by the appropriate spell.

In a way, it was much the same with countercurses. For almost every jinx, hex and curse out there, there was also a spell that could counter it's effects. But as it was far too difficult to try to learn all of them. Many wizards and witches, learn what was considered a universal counterspell, _Finite Incantatem._ However if the spell or the sorcerer, who did the casting, was particularly powerful. _Finite Incantatem_ could fail.

And in situations like that, and also in one were the victim has been debilitated in such a way that they can't utter or perform the counterspell. That person would only have two dire solutions. Wait for the spell to wear off. Or, breaking the spell with their own power, which wasn't something that just anybody could do.

Agena shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Lately, it seemed as though her mind was all over the place. She had her suspicions regarding Professor Quirrell. Her occasional battle of wits and words against some of her house mates. And also there was, keeping her secrets hidden. She went to the door that sat opposite of the one that she had entered and finally exited the derelict office, and walked into the unused classroom.

She made it half-way across the classroom, before she stopped. There it was that odd pull again. It was a feeling that she felt often as she walked around the school. There were certain paintings and statues that seemed to give off an odd air. It was difficult to put into words. But it was like certain things seemed to give off... the _smell_ of magic. Scent was probably the closest thing could use to describe it. Not that there was an actual odur to it.

But even then it wasn't just scent. There was a element of texture, taste and sound that went with it. And there was even a visual component as well. It was like a combination of all of her other senses and at the same time, it was none of them. And these sensations did just come from objects. If someone was near enough and she paying close enough of attention, she could feel the traces of magic that came off of them.

Agena turned to half a look around the room. She had taken this particular shortcut on several occasions and not once during any of her previous trips had she ever felt it before. Agena peered around the room carefully. Desks and chairs, where all stacked neatly against the far wall as they usually were, however today there seemed to be a new addition to this class room.

Pushed against the corner, and nearly as tall as the ceiling was a tall object, that was covered by a thick white cloth. Near the floor, a golden paw peeked out from under the cloth. Her curiosity urged her forward. During other moments she she would have been stopped by Daphne or by a stern look from Hermione. But right now she was alone and there was nobody to halt her actions.

Agena wrapped her hand around a fist full of the soft muslin cloth, and pulled heavy cotton back. She found herself standing in front of a tall oval mirror. It's frame gold and was covered with intricate designs. The foot that she had seen, had been a part of the mirror's stand. Also there was a strange inscription that curved along the top of the frame.

_Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi._

The object as a whole was quite beautiful, however there was something odd about mirror itself. It reflected the classroom, just like any mirror would, however the reflection seem flawed. Everything was duller than it should be, as if the room it reflected was filled with fog.

She had no doubt that this was more than just an ordinary mirror. She wouldn't have deviated from her coarse if it was. She stepped closer, and stood directly in front of the mirror. It was then, that a chill descended upon her.

She shut her eyes and turned away. It couldn't be real. There was no way it could be real. All the logic in her head, told her that it was impossible. And all of her instincts told her that she was the only one in the room. But despite that, she had to turn look, she had to make sure. She turned and looked out across the classroom and confirmed what she knew to be true.

Agena took a deep breath, before looking back into the mirror. They were still there, looking at her with pride and love. The woman, she had only seen her in pictures. But there standing behind her reflection in the mirror, was her mother. She looked older, than she did in the picture that her Aunt had recently sent her. Thin wrinkles touched at the corners of the woman's eyes. What was probably her first strands of gray, snaked their way though her hair. Age had not diminished her beauty in any way, with her it seemed to supplemented it. Because this wasn't the face of that girl who was just out of Hogwarts. No, this was the face of a mother.

And as much as Agena's attention was captured by this image of her mother, it was the other figure in the mirror, that caused a tightness in her chest. The man, who stood next to her mother was tall and in Agena's opinion he was also very handsome. His hair was straight and dark. Like her mother's hair, his too was peppered with gray. And despite being neatly combed, it still had a wild element to it. And his eyes, were a hard shade of blue. Agena smiled, even though that feeling her chest seemed to coil tighter.

Was this him? Was this the face of her father? The one who she shared the same eyes with. The man who also bequeathed to her, the ability to talk to snakes? An Heir of Slytherin?

There were so many questions. So many things that she wanted to know. Things that she needed to know. Things to fill that little void inside her. She loved her Aunt Andromeda and Nymphadora. They were the only family, she had ever known. And her Aunt Andromeda raised her like as if she was her daughter. But ultimately ... she wasn't her real mother.

Her eyes watered up. She wanted to look away, but at the same time she dared not to, for fear that they might vanish. But despite her brave efforts she could not maintain that vigil. Agena's eyes dropped, she wiped her face, in an effort to blot away the hot tears from her face. She might not have, even bothered. But she had become keenly aware that she was no longer the only person in the room.

In the same manner that she felt the mirror, she was able to identify the person who was approaching her. There wasn't anybody else that she knew that felt anything like him. She looked back up at the mirror just in time to see the image of her parents dissolve like smoke, only to be replaced by the aged visage of the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.

"Agena." he said softly. He placed his hands upon her shoulders, causing her to tilt her head back to look at him. He wore a sad, careworn expression.

"p-Professor." she sniffed. "w-What is this thing?"

"It seems that your curiosity has led another to to become a victim of the Mirror of Erised," he said, giving her shoulders a soft squeeze.

"The Mirror of Erised?" she repeated. She looked forward again, her eyes caught the first word of the inscription, that rounded the top of the mirror. As for the mirror itself, it only continued to show both herself and the professor. The image of her parents had not returned. "um, Professor?"

In the mirror she saw the headmaster nod at her to continue.

"Before you walked up behind me I saw..." She hesitated, "...um, The things, that the mirror shows you... I know that they can't be real, but are they... Is there any truth in what I saw?"

"I believe that depends, greatly upon you." Professor Dumbledore said gently. "You see the Mirror of Erised, has a way of showing you _a_ truth, but it is not necessarily what is true or possible."

She thought about what he had said and the image the mirror showed her of her parents. The mirror showed her something that she wanted to see. But was that true? She had thought of her parents before. What they looked like, what kind of people they were and what kind of life she could have had. But she hadn't been thinking of them when she had walked into through this classroom.

"The mirror..." she started, she thought of the loving expressions on both her mother and father's faces. "It shows you... what you want the most. Even the things, that you didn't know you wanted."

"Yes," he nodded. "I suppose that you could say it like that. The mirror reflects your deepest desire. And it is for that very reason that the mirror is so dangerous."

"Dangerous, Professor?"

"Yes. For all the wonders and possibilities that the Mirror of Erised shows, there have been men, who have been so enamored by what they have seen, that they have let themselves die, rather than be apart from it. There have been many who have been driven insane or even to suicide by the images they've seen."

"But Professor, who would make such a thing?"

"Alas, Agena. I'm afraid that's a question that I do not have the answer to. There was no known artificer by the name of Erised. Although there were many who claimed to have met it's creator. Oddly enough, no two people could ever give the same description of what the craftsmen looked like. And this was true even when several wizards and witches came into contact with him at the same time.

"And the same thing is true, for a number of other unusual curiosities that appeared around the same time as this mirror did. The _Cauldron of Mishfade_, which produces all manner of delicious foods, that will fill your belly, but those foods will neither provide your body with nutrition, nor will satisfy your hunger. Or, the notorious _Amulet of Hadelle_, which has the ability to quickly heal any wound, no matter how severe or mortal, but it does so at the horrifying price, of rapidly aging it's wearer. The only thing linking these objects to the same craftsmen, is the similar nature of the patterns that decorate them and the subtle cruelty of their designs."

What the Professor had related, to her was a warning, or perhaps a cautionary tale. Not everything in their world had been constructed with good intentions in mind. And this mirror was no exception. It was easy to imagine how some could become so enchanted by it's what they saw, that they would allow themselves to waste away rather than be away from it's haunting reflections.

"Professor?" she asked. The was one thing that she had to know. "Before you came. The mirror showed me, my parents. I know what my mother looked like. But I know nothing of my father. I've never seen what he looked like. So was what the Mirror... Was that really him? Was that what he really looked like?"

A very serious looked descended upon him, one that was even frightful.

"Your father? Agena, can you describe what he looked like to me?"

Agena found this to be odd. Him wanting to know what her father looked like. But he said it in such a way to suggest that he already knew. But she did as he asked, and described the image she saw in the mirror. Everything from his black hair all the way down to his long fingers. Afterwards his face became very contemplative.

"Yes, I suppose that he could have. He looked very much like that in his younger years."

"Did you know my father, Professor?"

"Yes, I did. I delivered his acceptance letter personally." he paused for a moment before continued. "I must confess Agena, that I did not expect to speak to you about your parents, so soon. I had hoped to do so once you had become a little older, and more settled in the school."

"Why? Was something wrong?" She asked turning to face him. "Does this have something to do with the Sorting Hat telling me 'that all Heirs must return to their house'?"

Agena could tell that this revelation surprised the Professor. He flicked his wand and summoning one of the chairs that were stacked against the wall. He set the chair down slightly to the side and sat down in it. Agena noticed that once he had stepped away from her, the mirror's reflection of her parents returned.

"It's unusual for the Sorting Hat to reveal such a thing during the sorting. But the hat does possess a certain wisdom, and has a way of saying, what people need to hear, when they need to hear it. As you are aware, your mother currently resides in Azkaban Prison. As for you father...," Professor Dumbledore then sighed. "Tom... he had so much potential. But perhaps for a flaw of his nature, or that of his unfortunate upbringing at the orphanage, gave rise to a young man who was only interested in controlling and manipulating those that were around him. Sometimes I must wonder if things could have been different, perhaps had I insisted on accompanying him as he made his first trip to Diagon Alley. Or perhaps if I had searched for the remaining members of his family, I could have prevented many terrible things from happening, " he shook then his head. "Even then it may have been too late. Even at the age of eleven, he was solitary and so unwilling to trust others."

"Sir, you said my father was in an orphanage?"

He nodded.

"Yes. From what I understand your grandparents, that is your father's parents, had a... falling out. While his mother was still pregnant, his father, who was a muggle, left her. She was left heartbroken and penniless, and eventually, when the time came, she sought refuge at an orphanage, but died shortly after giving birth.

"I see. um,... Sir. Is my father still alive?"

He seemed to think about the question for a moment.

"He might be. I feel as though there might be some part of him, thats still lurking about out there. You'll to have to forgive me Agena. This is probably not what you expected to here in regards to you parents. But I'm afraid that I have become a bit wistful in my old age."

But Agena just shook her head.

"I understand, sir." She looked to the mirror, and noticed that images of her parents, were not as clear as they were when she first walked up. "Knowing the kind of person my mother was, I couldn't really have expect my father to be much different. Although it's a little surprising to know something about his early life. At least I now know his name. Thomas Culverin?

"Not quite." the Headmaster corrected. "I was just Tom, not Thomas. And as for Culverin, I'm afraid I'll have to be honest with you. Culverin is just a borrowed name."

Agena opened her mouth in shock. But before she could say anything to him, he raised his hand.

"When I brought you to your Aunt's home, it was decided, for your protection, that when you were introduced to the rest of our world that you should not carry either of your parents names. As you were not the child of Rodolphus Lestrange, it would not have been proper to carry your mother's married name. And with their numerous crimes, it would have put you in danger. The same was true of your father's family name, while it was less know than your mother's married name. There was always the risk that someone would connect you to him, and in doing so, would then seek to end your young life.

"We were tempted to bestow you with your mother's maiden name, but that would have drawn some undesirable attention to you as well. Instead your Aunt looked to the Black Family Tree, and found the name of a pure-blood house, that has since died out."

"So, the both of you just picked Culverin?"

"Your Aunt felt it would be appropriate, since you do carry the blood of that clan in you, and... The Culverin's were known to have produced several notable Parselmouths. You should know that while the ability is rare, it wasn't exclusive to the descendants of Salazar Slytherin. And traditionally those who carried the trait, tended to be rather secretive and even protective of what they were able to do. It was uncommon for such families to kept those with the trait from passing outside of that family. This was why there was not any Parselmouths amongst the Blacks. Having the Culverin name might be enough to divert unsavory curiosity, should your ability become common knowledge."

"Culverin." She murmured. She had used a name, that wasn't really hers. She had always liked the name, it flowed easily off of her tongue. But it wasn't her's. It was a name that she was given for her protection. She ventured a look at the mirror and saw that the image of her parents had become smoky and distorted.

"Did... did my father really do things terrible enough, that someone might try to kill me?"

The Professor nodded grimly. "It has only been ten years, since those times, Agena. And I'm afraid that there are still many, who still would seek revenge for what they have lost."

"I... I understand professor." She turned to face the Headmaster, in the mirror her parents had faded further, become little more than smoky silhouettes. "Sir, When you... do you know anything about... about my parents being together?"

"I'm afraid I don't know the details of their relationship. I know that after he left Hogwarts, he traveled to the mainland, and began to immerse himself to the study of the Dark Arts. And I know that at one point or another he began to teach what he had learned to others. And from what I understand one of his prize students was your mother. Aside from that, I know very little of the nature of their relationship. But the very fact that you where born is monumental."

"What do you mean?"

"Your father always viewed himself as different and separate from other people. He didn't have any friends at the orphanage he grew up in. While at Hogwarts, many people became drawn to him, yet I'm afraid that never saw any of them friends. Like he was above anything like that. He saw himself as above anything like that, above being human. And it's with those thoughts in mind, that he began to experiment on himself. Augmenting himself to be exactly as he saw himself to be. But something did happen...

"He allowed your mother to become closer to him, than he had ever allowed anyone before. And despite his vehement dismissal of the ideas of both love and friendship, he possessed enough affection for your mother, that he took his place in your conception."

Agena fidgeted slightly, the conversation had taken a slightly uncomfortable turn. At least for Agena it did. The Professor seemed to sense this, and that was probably what prompted his next question.

"Has your Aunt ever discussed those sort of things with you?" he asked her cautiously.

Agena knew enough, that what he wasn't asking her if her Aunt had spoke to her about her parents. This was more about things that were usually whispered about, by some of the older students or adults. But she answered truthfully.

"A little," she nodded slowly. "But I've heard, more about it from... Nymphadora."

He nodded in return.

"Knowing what I do about your mother, I would say that her feelings for your father were genuine, and they were strong enough that she would be willing to forsake her husband and her family's pure-blood teachings. As for your father... At that stage of his life, it would be hard to believe that he would simply give in to an act of lust. But I can not say any of this with certainty."

"I see."

"Do not think ill of what I have told you. But just know, that for all of the power and potential your father had, you have already surpass him in so many ways. While he was only interested in those who could advance him in someway. You on the other hand, have extended friendship to others, without expecting a thing in return. You've stood up for others when they have found themselves to be the target of bullying actions of other students."

Normally such praise coming from the Professor would have turned her crimson, but with all that had been said to her Agena could only manage a slight blush.

"And from what I hear, all of your teachers think quite highly of you. I believe Professor McGonagall is a little envious that you are in Professor Snape's house. Well...," Professor Dumbledore started while standing up, his voice had become much lighter. "Seeing that you will be leaving, for your Aunt's house tomorrow, I believe you would have more important things to do rather than stare at a mirror in a lonely class room."

Agena nodded and smiled slightly. He had just laid a great deal of information at her feet, it would take her some time to digest all of it. But being reminded of what was happening tomorrow, reminded her of the up coming holidays.

"Professor? Are you going to stop by for Christmas this year?"

He stopped and seemed to give some thought to it.

"I may be able to manage a short visit this year, but I do have many things that I must see to over the break." He nodded towards the mirror.

"What will you do with the mirror?"

"This classroom is just a temporary home for it, and I have certain preparations that must be seen to before it is moved to a more secure location."

She looked back at the mirror, it continued to show her just a blurred image of her parents.

"They're all distorted now." she said absently.

"It may be, that your heart is no longer sure of what it wants."

"The mirror shows your deepest desire..." she said logically, she had a thought. "Is it possible for someone to make the mirror show you something from the past or present?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps," the Professor clucked, behind her. "But the mirror has limits, it will only show people and objects, but it can not show places that exist out of the room it reflects. But I imagine to a well trained mind and heart, the Mirror of Erised could act as a seeing stone. But given the mirror's nature it would be difficult to maintain the control necessary to bend the mirror to your will. And it is easy for the mirror to lie to you, and simply show what it is that you want to see."

The mirror reflected the room and the person who was looking in it. And it couldn't show you places that existed outside of the room that it sat in. So if a person's desire was to find a large cache of treasure, the mirror could not show you were to find some. But if you she were to concentrate on the people... There was only one way to know if it was possible. Agena took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She had to think about them... just them...

When her eyes opened she was standing amongst a whirlwind of blurry images, that blinked and flashed about her. A kaleidescope of light and shadow seemed to blend together right before her eyes, only to be cast out of focus again. But the longer she stared, a claim seemed to steady the torrent in the mirror. The images moved slower and became more defined.

A tall solitary figure. Three shadows standing close together. A large gray lump curled up on the floor. And blur walked by with jerky movements. Two others swaying back and forth. And others that weaved in and out in a chaotic fashion that was dizzying. But eventually the meandering shapes coalesced into familiar effigies that she was far more familiar with.

She could see Hermione Granger standing behind her, holding her heavy book, she was speaking to two others, a smoky white and black blur that took the shape that was similar to Harry Potter, and the other was a reddish smudge that matched the hair color of Hermione's other friend, Ronald Weasley. But the melted away as were replaced by a diminutive figure with large ears, that looked a lot like Feezy, moving with her arthritic gate. Suddenly the image of the House-elf suddenly twisted and grew taller. Agena was then briefly treat to sight of Nymphadora's face and her wild _(and presently)_ acidic yellow hair. But this too melted away.

Agena closed her eye's again it wasn't working like she thought it might. She tried to focus just on the two that she wanted to see the most.

When she looked again. She found herself looking, much to her disappointment, at the retreating back of Professor Quirrell. But unlike the previous images that the mirror had showed her this one didn't not change to someone else. It remained on his image, as if he was right there, walking in the room behind right behind her, with a jittery walk and that ridicules purple turban on the top of his head. And before she could give up and try to send her mind elsewhere, something odd happened. Quirrell suddenly stopped and spun around, shoving his hand into his robes. The look on his face was mix of fear and an odd sort of anger, that looked almost feral and vicious. It was how someone who react if somebody had jumped out and scared them. It was a paranoid reaction.

Agena had to question if she was looking at the real Quirrell or not. Or it those was simply as some odd manifestation that the mirror conjured. However this representation of Professor Quirrell then began to blur and fade away from the mirror. A new image appeared behind her reflection. A gray lump lay half sprawled on the floor. The only motion it made was slight rise and fall of breathing. It took a moment for Agena to place what she was seeing.

It was difficult to even tell the sex of the person that was on the floor. Long matted hair obscured the face, and the long, filthy gray robe that she was wrapped in, was of a unisex and utilitarian design. If it wasn't for the generous swell of her breast, and the feminine shape of one of her pale legs, Agena would have had no indication that she was even looking at a woman. It was her mother. Was that really her, Bellatrix Lestrange? Suffering in her prison cell as the Dementors circled the halls. With some cruelty the mirror saw fit to change again and rob her of this sad vision. However this time the foggy room behind her reflection grew dark.

What she was seeing now, was some how different that everything else the Mirror of Erised had show her up till then. Everything seemed sharper, the blacks grew rich and inky, and other colors became so vivid they seemed to glow. It was almost as if she was looking at a stage performance, with dark curtain in the background and lights shinning on the actors. And it seemed that the lead of this performance was once again her mother. She was standing, turned so that Agena could only see her profile. But it wasn't the this was the poor creature that she had just seen on the floor. No, this was a much younger and much healthier version of the woman.

Agena watch with curiosity, as her mother's thin lips moved in speech. She was talking slowly to someone. Try as she might she couldn't tell what she was saying, but the slight glow on her cheeks and the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth, hinted at her words. Her mother's hands where held in front of her chest, in a nervous prayer like fashion. But hesitantly those hands moved forward, until they made contact with the darkness in front of her.

Agena's breath hitched, as she realized that her mother wasn't alone. Lost amongst the black of the room was another figure concealed in a dark cloak. Now that she was looking, she could make out the obscure outline, that had to belong to her father. The height was just about right, compared to the image she saw of his earlier. But something felt wrong.

A sudden feeling of dread washed over to her, as Professor Dumbledore's description of her father replayed in her head. The way he described it, he was not the handsome man she had seen earlier. That man was what she wanted her father to be. But what she was seeing now...

Her mother was a Deatheater and she fell in love with a man who was not her husband. A man who was a half-blood. A great man. A powerful man. A man who looked at himself as being beyond others. A man who did things so terrible, that she had to be given a false name to protect her identity. The Professor never said what her father's surname was. In fact the headmaster seemed to talk around the whole subject.

An abrupt movement recaptured her attention. A white, ghastly hand, emerged from the dark robes, it's long and skeletal fingers stretched outwards. Agena was almost certain that it was about to strike her mother, push her away, scratch at her eyes. But it stopped short of any such violence. Instead those horrible fingers touched her mother's cheek, right below her eye. The hand then moved slowly, displaying a strange tenderness, that Agena did not think such a hand was capable of.

Her mother's face reacted with ecstasy. Her eyes closed, and her whole countenance shook with a visible shiver. Her face even exploded on a heavy blush, as she leaned her head into the hand. And then Agena was pulled back, and taken away from this vision.

"Agena?" Professor Dumbledore asked bending down to look at her.

"I.. I.. I'm s-sorry, Professor." she squeaked. She was shaken, by the sudden change. The Headmaster hand was on her shoulder, and he had pulled her to she side, forcing her to look away from the mirror. She quickly spared a glance towards the looking-glass, but they were gone. All that was left was the foggy reflection of the room.

"I believe you have done enough looking, for the day." The Headmaster said standing up straight. He kept his hand on her shoulder and directed her towards the door.

Agena was trying to think. What was that last vision, the mirror had shown her? Was that something that was real? Was it manifestation of her sub-conscience? And that horrible hand. If that belonged to her father then... It couldn't be...

Her mother was a Deatheater. The dark wizard, her mother served, used a serpent as part of his insignia. Her father had done terrible things. And he looked upon himself as being greater and beyond others. He was an heir of Slytherin. Voldemort used a snake as part of his symbol.

A dreadful feeling crept up from her stomach and settled in her throat. It felt as though she was about to vomit. But she knew that nothing would actually coming up.

"Now, Agena." The Professor said, after they stepped out of the room. He closed the door behind them. "With the Hogwarts Express leaving tomorrow, you should try to get a good night's rest, and put the mirror out of your mind... Agena? Are you feel ill?"

"um, No. I'm alright,sir."

"Did you see something in the mirror?"

"No, sir!" She shook her head vigorously. She didn't want to talk about what she saw, her own speculations where taking a dangerous direction. One that she didn't want to think about.

He stared at her for a moment, his bright blue eyes felt like the were boring into her. He knew she wasn't being truthful. But a touch of panic hint her and she spoke out again.

"I...p-Professor qu-Quirrell!"

"Pardon?"

"I saw Professor Quirrell."

The Headmaster then gave her a calculating look.

"Why do you think that you saw Professor Quirrell?"

"I...," she didn't know what to say. She didn't even why she even mentioned the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. But here she was. "I think... I think it was a warning."

"Oh, and how so?"

This was embarrassing. Now she had to explain it again. She had told Daphne and then she had repeated her thoughts to Hermione regarding their Defense teacher. Neither of them agreed with her assessment. Although Hermione did admit that his claims that a troll was in the dungeons was sort of odd.

"Well, it's just... It's not that I want to bad-mouth a teacher... it just," She struggled. What was she going? A man like Dumbledore hardly needed to hear the advice or thoughts of a twelve year old girl. But the feeling that she got whenever she was around Quirrell was too much to ignore, and right now she needed something to help clear her thoughts. "I think that, during Halloween that... it was Professor Quirrell let that troll into the castle."

"And why do you think that?"

Agena fidgeted for a moment. Every question she answered, opening her up to further inquiry.

"Because... He ran into the Great Hall shouting that there was a Troll in the dungeon. But there really no way for a Mountain Troll to get into the dungeons, except for coming down from the floor above. And if that was the case somebody surely have noticed, a twelve foot troll walking around the castle. Not to mention, what was he doing down in the dungeons during the middle of the Halloween Feast?

"And... he's faking it... All those mannerisms and that stuttering is just for show. If you watch him.. And I mean you really have got to pay attention... It's like he slips up... I've seen Professor Snape speak with him, and the whole time, he'll look like he is about to faint or something. And I'm sure you know how Professor Snape can be all intimidating... But as soon as Professor Snape looks away, you can see Quirrell's eyes change to... something of loathing, and then he'll switch back to that make-believe fear."

Agena's face burned a crimson, she had nearly run out of breath. As for Professor Dumbledore? He was looked down at her with amusement.

"I sometimes forget, how observant you are." the Professor said with a small mirthful smile. "But I dare say that these are not things that a first year student should worry about. It may be a futile request, given how determine you can be, but I'll have to ask you to try put this out of your mind."

Agena simply nodded in agreement. Although she doubted that she would actually be able to do as he asked.

"And I'll have to also ask you not to come back, to look into the mirror again."

"That won't be a problem, Professor. I think... that I have seen all that I want to see, from that mirror."

Those words seemed to make the Headmaster's face become a little more solemn. But he nodded and motioned his hand towards a nearby stairwell, which happened to be the one that Agena had been intending to reach when she took that shortcut to begin with.

**  
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**Author's Note:** I seem to have a nasty habit of letting these chapters blow up on me. Well there you go Agena has an encounter with the Mirror of Erised, just before Christmas break. As Dumbledore said Agena is very perceptive, she not psychic or anything. So I just took a little time to help explain what she does. I really don't have too much in the way of notes this time, however I'm fairly certain that Agena will finally meet and speak with Harry in Chapter 12, I probably won't start on the next chapter for about a week. I need to take a little break so I can work on some of my other projects that I have been neglecting.

Also it been about a week since DH came out, And now I have all manner of things to work into my little story here. Anyway please review. All work and no reviews make JErosion a dull boy.


	11. Chapter 10 Year 1

**Agena**

**JErosion**

**Chapter 10 – Ignition – Year 1**

_cla-clank cla-clunk_

_cla-clank cla-clunk_

There was some comfort available, in just watching the countryside slide on by. Snow cover much of the landscape, and stormy gray clouds glazed the entirety of the sky. In the distance small farmhouses would only move in small increments. While nearby trees and hedgerows would fly by as unrecognizable blurs.

_cla-clank cla-clunk_

She was half looking out the window, and half looking at her own reflection in the glass. That was something she seemed to do a lot lately. Her encounter with the Mirror of Erised, had left her keenly aware of her own appearance. The curl of her hair, the shape of her face, the color of her eyes... the bits and pieces that belonged to the mother and father that she never knew. And now, because of that mirror, she wasn't sure if she want to know them.

_cla-clank cla-clunk_

It was very cold out there, sleet was falling against the window. Leaving thin streams of water slid diagonally down the window. The temperature difference between the outside and the inside of the train was causing the windows to fog up. A lazy tap of her wand against the glass would clear it up. She didn't whisper any spell to go with the wand movement. She really didn't put any thought into it. She just tapped her wand, and the window would comply. But inevitably, the warmth of the conversation and laughter that filled the cabin would obscure her view out of the window again.

_cla-clank cla-clunk_

Occasionally she would look over and smile with the others, but she really wasn't listen to any of them. She just let her attention drift to the passing scenery and to the low repetitive sound of the train wheels.

_cla-clank cla-clunk_

In truth she hadn't felt much like smiling or laughing since the before the beginning of the Christmas break. This fact did not go unnoticed by her Aunt. After the older woman had asked how her year went and commented her on how she had grown at least an inch since she had left. Her Aunt began to ask her what was wrong. But Agena wouldn't say. She really didn't want to tell anyone about the mirror, nor what she had seen in it.

Nymphadora had contributed to the questioning as well, openly speculating that her mood. She even went as far as to ask it was because of a boy. Agena just replied, that she wasn't interested in that sort of things. Her cousin however, laughed and said that it wouldn't be long before she was. And then she went on to tell her about a seventh year boy, she started to fancy back when she was inly in her second year. Agena just looked at her in shock that she would actually admit such a thing. Nymphadora just shrugged, saying that she had always liked older guys. Luckily the whole conversation was then brought to an abrupt end, when Andromeda cleared her throat, and started to drill her daughter over what she meant by liking 'older guys'.

_cla-clank cla-clunk_

"Hey, Agena are you alright?"

Agena's view drifted away from the window and settled on Hermione Granger. Like her, the Gryffindor girl seemed to be more content to just passively ignore the jovial talk that had been going on around them. She was still flipping through that heavy book, she had checked out from the school library.

"I'm fine." she assured with a smile that wasn't entirely genuine.

"Bah! You haven't been fine, since before the holidays." Daphne baulked, nudging Agena with her elbow. "You were all gloomy the day before we left, and your gloomy now."

"I'm fine, really."

"No your not.," before Agena could react. Daphne reached over, took hold of her face and then used her thumbs push up the corners of Agena's mouth. "If you were fine, you'd be smiling just like this."

"Whaaa" Agena cried, as she tried to bat Daphne's hands away. Her ears were then greeted with the sound of laughter. She tried to look grumpy, but she could help but smile. She also blushed, finding the other occupants looking in her direction.

Peering around Daphne was Susan Bones, her blond hair was tied into a long braid that hung off her shoulder. Across from her, and in the opposite corner from Agena, was Hiram Fiske was grinning away. Sitting between him and Hermione, was that Longbottom boy.

_cla-clank cla-clunk_

When the accident prone child had first looked in the cabin, his eyes lit up as soon as he spotted Hermione. But the cheery look on his face, soon faulted once he saw that two Slytherins where also in the same cabin. (_Susan and Hiram had yet to arrive._) He looked like he was about to shuffle off to find an empty compartment, when Daphne called out to him and told him that he could sit with them.

Neville looked at Daphne like she had suddenly sprouted another head. Not that Agena could blame him, since the beginning of school he seemed to have terrible luck when ever he came in contact with certain members of her house. Longbottom didn't even make a move, until Hermione had padded the seat next to her and told him that it was okay, and that she and Daphne were alright. He walked in cautiously and sat close to his fellow Gryffindor.

Daphne then immediately began to bombard him with all sorts of questions. Who that old witch was, that had the vulture hat. Apparently Daphne had seen him come into the station with her. Her roommate then went on to ask him, if his parents were those married Aurors? That little question had perked both Hermione and Agena's interest considerably.

Daphne related the facts, or at what she had heard from her mother. Neville's parents were sort of famous, like a story book couple. Both had meet in Hogwarts, both had been head boy and head girl. They went to through Auror training together, eventually they were even assigned as partners and eventually they married. They even fought the good fight, against '_You-know-who_', as Daphne refereed to him.

Neville hadn't said much during the whole thing, he just nodded occasionally. It wasn't until Daphne mentioned the '_You-know-who' _that the young Gryffindor said anything. _'Please, stop.'_

The way he said it was so sad. And the look on his face was something, that Agena could not match with the nervous boy she saw in the halls of Hogwarts. Daphne suddenly looked devastated, suddenly realizing that she overstepped a boundary. Daphne apologized, that she didn't mean to say anything that would offend him. Or to bring up something that he didn't want anybody to know. But Neville just dropped his eyes towards the floor.

_'I just don't like to talk about it.'_

The atmosphere in the cabin grew rather tense after that. Neville's parents may have been a storybook couple, but life wasn't like fairy tales. And it did not take a genuis to tell, that their story did not have a happy ending. Agena's mind suddenly drifted to the image she saw in the mirror. The one with that hand. That horrible white hand. She didn't know why she said it, it just felt like one of those things that had to be done.

_'It's alright, you know. Your not alone. A lot of us lost family because of Voldemort.' _

You would have thought that the world had suddenly come to an end. Hermione went wide eyed. Neville yelped and Daphne... Daphne actually screamed and fell off the seat. It was easy to forget how much of a hang-up some people had about that word.

Daphne looked at her in disbelief. And asked her why she said the name and why she wasn't afraid. Agena thought about mother and that white hand again, before she replied that there was no reason for her to be afraid. It had been a decade since all that had happened. It wasn't long too long after that, Hiram came limping into the doorway of their compartment. And asked if it was okay for him to sit with them. Susan was just a step behind him.

_cla-clank cla-clunk_

Daphne was probably about to go into a new round of teasing, when her attention was drawn away by Hermione. The bushy hair girl was trying to stove that massive book of hers into a large carryall she had with her.

"You didn't just read though that whole thing, did you?" Daphne asked her. Hermione had spent the greater potion of her time on the train slowly flipping from the beginning of the book all the way to the end.

"oh, no." Hermione smiled, as she struggled to pull the zipper on her bag closed. "I've already went thought it about three times over the break."

"What would possess you to read a book like that, three times?"

"I was just trying to find out about someone..." Hermione said as she dropped the bag onto the floor. "Say, have any of you ever heard of Nicolas Flamel?"

Around the cabin her question was answered with head shakes and thoughtful expressions, but none of the others knew. Well except for...

"Sure."

"You have?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"He's an old Alchemist," Agena told her, and as an afterthought she added. "And I mean old, he is suppose to be around five hundred years old."

"How does anyone manage that?" Hiram asked from his corner of the compartment.

"I read about him in a magazine my Aunt gets, _Potion Masters Quarterly_. That issue had a whole bunch of stuff about him and his accomplishments. There was even some things about Professor Dumbledore in it. Anyway, Nicholas Flamel has managed to live for over five hundred years, because sometime during the Renaissance, he succeeded in making the Philosopher's stone."

Upon hearing that Hermione made an excited squeal.

"I've heard about that! It's suppose to allow you to do all sorts of impossible things." she said excitedly.

"What sort of things?" Daphne asked, in a manner that was reminiscent of a child being read a bedtime story.

"It suppose to allow it's user to be able to violate most of the Principal Exceptions of Transfiguration." Agena said, but stopped as she saw some of the blank stares she was getting. At least Hermione looked like she knew what she was talking about."The Five Principal Exceptions of Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration? They are explained in detail in the second chapter of our Transfiguration text books."

Agena sighed as it became apparent that the others had skipped that portion of their text books. Professor McGonagall had never actually assigned that chapter to them to read for homework. But one would think that some of them would have taken more initiative.

"Hermione." Agena said with a nod, offering the girl the chance to explain. It was an opportunity that the girl seemed eager to take.

One by one the Gryffindor explained the things that were impossible for magic to do. You could not make food from nothing. You could not transfigure or conjure any of the six precious metals. You could not heal flesh or restore limbs, that was caused through magical means. You could not stop nor reverse aging. And finally, you can not create life from nothing, nor can life be restored to the dead.

Alchemy was an unusual discipline of magic, that combined both transfiguration and potions. The main purpose of the field was to devise of ways to circumvent Gamp's laws. And the Philosphere's Stone was said to help it's user to violate at least three of those rules. How exactly, was a bigger question. Nicholas Flamel had been rather vague when it came to explanations of how the stone could be used. The article did recount a demostration where Flamel had violated the first of Gamp's exceptions. He had used the stone in conjunction with his wand, to produce several food staples. Apparently he had used it to cover the top of a table with breads and cooked fish. But that seemed to be the limits of what he was able to conjure. Due to the impossible nature of that type of transfiguration, there was a considerable lack of known spells that could do such a thing.

Things where similar with the precious metals, being impossible to produce though standard transfiguration. Gold, Silver, Copper, as well as Platinum, Palladium and Nickel all had inherit magical properties, that retarded their artificial creation. Despite the value of such materials, many of the Magical Ministries around the world had laws banding such research, often citing the danger it poses to both wizarding and muggle economies.

Now the thing that the Philosphere's Stone, is most notable for was it's use in the creation of a potion called the Elixir of Life. And it was the Elixer that allowed Nicholas Flamel, along with his wife, to enjoy a life that had lasted longer than any other wizard in history. The magazine had a picture of both Flamel and his wife. Both of them had a rather odd appearance. They both looked of persons of advanced years, yet at the same time they also possessed a certain amount of youthfulness. In one part of the article the interviewer asked if it was true that the Elixir could actually reverse aging. Flamel claimed that he never took more than a sip once a month. And that if one were to drink it in excess, they could find themselves reliving some of the more awkward parts of their youths. Flamel then joked, that he had enough of ache and untimely voice changes when they happened the first time.

There had been much speculation as to whiter or not the stone could be used to heal cursed wounds and even regrown lost limbs. But Flamel had always denied that it would be able to use it for such a thing. But that claim maybe for proprietary reasons. For if it could be used in such a fashion, he would undoubted be bombarded with demands that he allow the stone to be put towards healing purposes. And that would require him to produce more of the stones. And if he were to do that, there would always be the risk that the stone could be stolen or misused. And as the Stone's creator, he had an obligation to make sure that the stone wasn't abused.

Then there was the last exception. Something that was beyond the power of the stone. Or perhaps it was beyond the will of Nicholas Flamel. Though various inventions of the Dark Arts it was possible to reanimate corpse. But that was a far cry from actually bringing back the departed. As for the second part to the last exception, there were spells that would allow you to suddenly create small animals, such as reptiles or birds. But animals made in such a way never lived as long as their natural counterparts. And when those animals did die, they didn't quite decompose either. They just sort of fade away and turned to dust. In the end, their life-force was only equal to the amount of magic that was put into them. Larger and more complex animals could not be created in such a manner, they could only be made by transfigured from other objects. And even then, those animals only existed for as long as the magic that created them held out. Once that magic had been used up, they would revert back into the object they were made from.

Further, there were a long list of more rules and observations concerning the transfiguration of living beings into inanimate objects and then changing them back. But the ultimately there were no spells that would allow for the sudden creation or transfiguration of an inert object into a human being. There were many stories that told of such things, just like there were stories of people trying to bring back the dead. But such tales were more like cautionary fables, were the overly curious became the victims of their own hubris. And as far fetched as they might be, one could not help but wonder if there was any truth to them. After all, every myth began some place.

_cla-clank cla-clunk_

Hermione's explanation was a bit wordy and on the technical side. If she did know better Agena would have said that the studious Gryffindor was quoting her text book word for word. But either way it seemed that Hermione was losing the attention of the others they were sharing their cabin with. Daphne's eyes had glazed over and her view had drifted off to some point above Hermione's head. Hiram was trying to discretely pick his nose. Susan had vanished behind Daphne, settling far back in her seat. As for that Neville boy... he was still paying attention, but from what Agena could tell, he was only doing so to be polite.

"You should have been in Ravenclaw," Daphne said, once Hermione stopped talking. The statement made the the bushy hair girl turn pink.

"Well she is certainly has the mind to be." Agena nodded in agreement with her roommate.

"Pfffff! You too!" Daphne laughed. "Your too smart for your own good."

"I'm not sure if I should be offended or not." Agena said dryly. "But remember if I was in Ravenclaw, you wouldn't have anyone to help you with your homework."

Daphne stuck her tongue out at her, and made a grumpy face. It wasn't long after However Daphne being the could never maintain that sort of expression for long. asn expression of mock hurt, before she cracked a smile and started to giggle.

"You know, the Hat did think about it."

"What?"

"The Sorting Hat," Hermione said. "It considered putting me in Ravenclaw, but after a while it decided on Gryffindor."

"Really?" Susan asked poking her head out from the other side of Daphne. "It just just told me that I had all the qualities of a Hufflepuff, before it shouted out my house's name."

"Thats similar to what the Hat told me." Daphne said. "Did the Hat think about putting of you in another house?"

"It thought about putting me in Gryffindor." Hiram contributed.

"What about you Neville?" Hermione asked the quiet boy next to her. "If I remember correctly, it took a while with you."

"I- I really don't remember everything it said, but it thought about putting me in Hufflepuff and... and in Slytherin."

"Slytherin!? You? Are you serious?" Hermione asked with a disbelieving tone.

"y-Yeah. I guess, it thought about it,... cause my family has been pure-blooded since forever."

"That makes sense..." Agena pondered out loud. "Being a pure-blood is probably the only reason why we get stuck with some of the kids we do. There are loads of students, that really aren't smart enough to be in Ravenclaw, not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, and have a none of the loyalty or dedication that Hufflepuff admired so much. And even when it comes to being a Slytherin, they wouldn't know clever if it was sitting on top of their head. Yet because they are pure-blooded, we stuck with them."

"Sounds like your talking about Malfoy and his lot."

"Well, your not far off Mr. Fiske." she grinned at him. "I'm pretty sure you could replace Crabbe and Goyle with a pair of wooden dummies, no one would notice. But when it comes to my cousin, I'm afraid he is as clever and as ambitious as they come. Draco belongs in Slytherin. Of coarse it doesn't hurt that he has a head full of that pure-blood pride."

"What about you? Did the Sorting Hat consider you for any of the other houses?" Hiram asked, causing everyone to look at her.

"It told me, that I would have done well in Ravenclaw and in Gryffindor," Agena told the others. But she was not going to tell them everything. There were was that final phrase the Sorting Hat had spoken to her. One that she would not dare to repeat to them. _All heirs must return to their house. _"... but the Sorting Hat felt I belonged in Slytherin."

_cla-clank cla-clunk_

Daphne said something after that, that caused everyone else to laugh, but Agena didn't really pay any attention to it. Her mind still juggling the words of the Sorting Hat and the images she had seen in the Mirror of Erised. It wasn't one of those things that she could talk to someone about. This was something that she would have to sort out for herself. And with classes restarting, she would find new avenues to focus upon.

-

"You want me to do what?"

Agena watched as Hollis carefully pulled a wooden chair from stack that was against the wall. The older boy remained silent as he walked to the middle of the unused dungeon classroom and set the chair down.

"Repetition." He said simply as he walked back towards the furniture. "You did it once, so logically you should be able to do it again."

"But I have no idea how I did it, in the first place!" Agena protested.

"That's the whole point of this experiment. I do admit that it probably would have been easier if we had tried this right after Halloween." he explained as he pulled a beat-up looking stool from the stacks. "It's a shame I didn't think about it until after we left for Christmas."

Agena watched with a mix of curiosity and apprehension as Hollis placed the stool on top of the chair. He then walked towards and then disappeared through a door that was at the far corner of the chamber. At dinner the night they returned for the break, Hollis had sat across from her and began to talk to her about a theory he had. And since she had preformed a rather remarkable piece accidental magic, she was the perfect candidate for what he wanted to do.

"I don't suppose your going to tell me why he even wants to try this?" Agena asked to the young woman that was leaning against a pillar behind her.

"Well,..." came the voice of Annette Yaxley. "I think this is more of a curiosity thing. And in a way he sort of views you as a project child. It's just like it was when he gave you that list of books to check out from the library. And if his theory actually holds up, you will be able to walk away with a rather decent piece of magic. Besides this will be good practice for when he graduates."

"What do you mean, practice?"

But before Annette could explain, Hollis came out from the door holding a small dented cauldron. He walked out to the middle of the the room and carefully set cauldron down on top of the stool.

"hmmm, Naads une mare thang." He muttered aloud to himself, as he started to look around the room.

Agena gave Annette a questioning look. The girl just just smiled and nodded, assuring her that she wasn't just hearing things. She had heard him do that before. One moment Hollis would be talking normally, and then suddenly his voice would drop an octave and a string of gravelly words would escape his mouth.

A quick movement by Hollis made her turn back towards him. He had pulled out a twisted black stick from his robes. It took a moment to realize that it was his wand. Admittedly Agena didn't know too much about the older boy, aside from his disdain of certain pure-blood families. But his wand was certainly odd.

Agena remembered her visit to Ollivanders in Diagon Alley. Her wand and all of the wands she had tried before it, were all straight and finely polished. Each wand was a well crafted work of art, as well as a testament to the skill and care of an experienced wandmaker. But Hollis's wand looked like he had just snapped it of of some tree before he stuck it in his robes.

"_Accio_." He commanded, and a piece of chalk came flew out from the tray of a nearby blackboard.

He then turned to the stack of objects he had placed in the center of the room, and use the chalk to scribble on the dark surface of the cauldron. When he walked away, Agena had to fight the urge to laugh.

"I think that ought to make a good target. What do you think? It's a pretty good likeness of Flint."

Hollis had marked the front of the cauldron with a cartoonish face that resembled that of a surely troll.

"I don't know, Hollis," Annette laughed. "It looks a little too realistic to be Marcus."

"You think so?" He grinned, Hollis then brought his full attention to Agena and asked. "Are you ready try this?"

"I guess," Agena shrugged, pulling out her wand.

"Now tell me what is your wand's core?"

"My wand?" Agena frowned. "It's dragon heartstring."

"hmmm, Good, good."

"Why is that good?"

"It's good, because dragon heartstring is excellent for transfiguration and offensive types of of magic. And given the fiery nature of the spell we are going to attempt to duplicate, it will be even better."

She glanced at his wand.

"What kind of core goes your wand have?"

"My wand?" he said, holding the gnarled stick up. "It's core is made up of none of your business. Now, lets get started."

Agena made a face at his sarcastic remark. She didn't have to be here, but she wasn't about to leave. Although she wouldn't admit it, she was curious to know if she could do it too. Besides if she wasn't here for this experiment, she would probably have spent the entire night sitting on her bed and think about that damn mirror.

"What do you want me to do."

"I want you to think back to Halloween. You sitting there chatting away and enjoying your meal, when Professor Quirrell comes running into the Great Hall shouting. '_Theres a troll in the dungeons._' Then he falls over in a dead faint. The whole hall is in an uproar. Professor Dumbledore silences everybody and tells us prefects to get our students back into the dorms. And you," he said, pointing a finger at her. "You got something to say, "You have that friend, who is in a bathroom and has no idea what's going on. You need to tell someone. In fact you see Professor McGonagall. You run against the crowd. Your almost there, when...," he directed his finger over to the objects that he stacked together in the middle of the room.

"Flint grabs a hold of you. Your running out of time. Professor McGonagall is almost out of the hall. You pull and pull, but Marcus won't let you go. You yell at him, he yells back. And then..." He gestured towards the target. Agnea took the queue and pointer her wand and...

Nothing happened.

Behind her Annette started to clap in a slow and mocking manner.

"That was amazing! Absolutely brilliant. Incredible! I've never seen anything like it. "

"Don't you have somewhere else to be." Hollis asked her, crossing his arms.

"Not at all." she replied with an innocent tone. "I was just waiting to see if you were going to get yourself blown up."

"Well thats _nice_ to know you care so much about my well being," he snorted.

"Who said anything about caring?"

"Ah, I know what your after, you want to see me injured so you can personally nurse me back to health."

"HA! You only half right. I woul..."

"OH! So you just want to do the nursing part! Well, we can make some arrangements later." he interupted."

Annette was about to make another comment, but Agena felt as though she had heard enough.

"Excuse me! First year in the room!"

Annette suddenly looked rather awkward, as she turned a rather remarkable shade of pink,

"I suppose you are right," Hollis grinned. "Alright. So, nothing happened yet. That's to be expected. We can't move mountains on our first try. Now I you to think about that night. I want you to remember how you felt. That is very important. Remember how you felt."

"But surely I need some sort of incantation or something to pull this off."

"Ah, but that's were your wrong. The first wizards didn't have words to control their magic, they used their emotions to release the flow of energy. The actual spells didn't come till later. And that's what we are going to try today. All you have to do is focus on the right emotions in the right manner."

"But there's no way..."

"Listen, a really good wizard or witch doesn't even have to open their mouth to cast a spell. All you need is a strong will and excellent control over you emotions. In fact a lot of spells won't work, unless your in the right frame of mind. Take for instance the... the Cruciatus Curse..."

"Hollis!"

"I'm just mentioning it, as an example." he said to Annette, who crossed her arms. Clearly she did not like the idea of him talking about an unforgivable curse to a first year student. "Anyway, if you were in a happy-go-lucky mood and you suddenly cast that curse on someone, they might feel some pin pricks from it, but they won't be knocked down or severely endured. To cast the Cruciatus Curse, you have got to feel absolute hate for the person you cast it on. And you must mean to cause them harm.

"On the other hand," he said, the severity in his voice changed. "For... let's say the levitation charm. Wingardium Leviosa. The words of that spell are very light and airy. And saying the incantation makes you feel a little light and cheery yourself. You can't say those words and be angry. And that's the whole point. All you should need to do is think back to that night. Just rely on your emotions and your will power. And remember, like I told you at the beginning of the year, you have got to believe that you can do it. "

Agena turned to the her target, and stared at the funny troll face. She really started to think about that night. She had been worried about Hermione. She pointed her wand, and concentrated.

Like before, nothing happened.

"Try again." Hollis encouraged.

She gave it another go thinking about Hermione being stuck, crying in that bathroom stall.

Again nothing happened.

She thought about it again. She placed her free hand around her, right where Flint had grabbed her. She had wanted him to go away. To let go. To let her go and go away. She flicked her wand.

This time a semi-transparent stream flew out of it and struck the cauldron, causing it to wobble on the stool.

"That's wasn't too bad, not quite what we are going for, but at least it is a step in the right direction. Try it again."

Like before she thought about Flint's hold on her arm. And how much she wanted him to let go. She gave her wand another flick. Like before the translucent stream flew out of her wand and struck the dummy. This time the the cauldron didn't just wiggle, the stool it sat on fell over and the cauldron landed on the floor with a clank.

Hollis use a flick of his wand to set the target back up, and after a nod, Agena tried again. And she tried again, and again. Each time she had similar results, the cauldron might wobble, sometimes it was the stool. And other times she would succeed in knocking over the cauldron, the stool and even the chair that Hollis had set up. With each of these failures Hollis would flick his wand and right the target, as was necessary.

Eventually she started to grow tired. Hollis had mentioned that it might happen. She was channeling her magic through her wand. Even without success, the work was exhausting. And at her age there was only so much magic she could do in one day without getting tired.

"I don't think this is going to work." She said, after he fixed the target one again.

Hollis looked slightly disappointed as well. It was starting to get late. Annette as sitting in a chair, that she had procured from the stack against the wall. She looked bored and in truth there was no reason for her to be here watching the two of them fail, other than...

Maybe there was something to Daphne's observations regarding the two. Hollis always spoke to her in a casual manner that he lacked when spoke to many of his peers. As for Annette, she had a tendency to blush around him. And even now her eye seemed to follow him as he paced in thought. Hollis didn't hide the fact that he liked her. But it seemed that it was Annette, that refused to take that step forward. She came from one of those old pure-blood families, that had been around so long that their vault number at Gringotts was in the lower double digits. And because of it, she wasn't allowed the luxury to chose as she truly wished to.

So maybe that was a reason why she was watching, what was going on. Aside from there prefect duties, they were really permitted that much time together. At least she wasn't. And considering some of her friends, she had to constantly watch herself. If she let a look linger too long, or if she acted too warmly toward him, it could find it's way back to her family. And from what Agena knew of Annette's home life on him, her father terrified her.

"Well it was worth a shot. It a shame it didn't work." Hollis said with a sigh.

"Well the theory was sound," Annette said, standing up and stretching. "Maybe it just doesn't work that way."

"I suppose your right." Hollis said in defeat. "Maybe we should call it a night. And maybe try it again some other time."

Agena frowned, she wanted it to work to. But maybe it wasn't his theory that was wrong, maybe she was the one that was screwing up. When Flint had grabbed hold of her arms, all she wanted was for him to let her go. But that wasn't what she needed to focus on. She was scared at the time, afraid that Hermione might be injured. But she wasn't just scared she was angry too. Maybe she needed to concentrate on both. The little bit of magic that she had been producing thus far, almost felt like she was pushing against a wall. Maybe that was part of it. But it was just a part.

When she burned Flint's arm, the thing she remembered the most about it, was the smell. The sulfurous scent that wafted though the air. She remembered, there was some heat. And also there was the flash of the flame, but she didn't see it directly. Instead she only saw the quick burst of light on the faces of her housemates as she pushed past them.

Maybe she need to think about that as well. Fear. A little bit of anger. That smoky sulfurous smell. A flash of heat. A burning scent. Magic was more than pointing a wand and saying a few words. There was an element that extended to all five senses. She looked over at the two prefects, they were talking quietly to each other.

Agena looked back towards the target. She was going about it all wrong. Even when she was hitting it with the magic that kept knocking it over. She kept thinking about what she wanted to do, not how it felt. So what she needed was to combine the right things, she may be able to pull this off.

A sulferous scent, a flash of heat, a push... no not just a push... it had to be a push and a twist. That somehow felt right. Agena aimed with her wand, and took a deep breath. She shut out the flirtatious exchange of the two older students, and focused solely on the target. She flicked her wand and let her magic flow.

It was quick. The tip of her wand issued a short fizzing sound, as a small flash of a bright yellow shot out about three inches from the tip of her wand. The best she could describe it as, it was almost like some one had lit an entire package of those muggle matches. There was also a small wisp of black smoke the slowly rose up in the air, accompanied by the light scent of sulfur. It wasn't the fireball that scorched the arm of their Quidditch captain. But it was closer than anything else she had produced that evening.

"Fut mae! Sha dud et!" Came the awed and garbled response from Hollis. Annette was looked at her in equal shock.

"Was that better?" Agena asked feeling a little dizzy.

"It was an improvement. Although I think that Dummy Flint over there, isn't feeling too worried. Do you think you can manage to give it another go?"

Agena started to nod, but stopped and shook her head.

"I'm.. I don't know if I can." She answered honestly. She may have over extended herself with that last shot. And from how Hollis was looking at her, he could see it too.

"That's alright. We can try this again next week?

She nodded.

"For now... do you have a journal or notebook?"

"Yes, I got one for my birthday." she admitted. Her Aunt had sent her blank diary for her birthday. But she hadn't used it yet.

"Want you to try and write down what you did today, so that when we try again, we can compare and try to improve your results."

"I'm not sure, if I know how to describe what I did."

"If thats too hard, try drawing what you did. Try to illustrate how the spell felt as it left your wand. Do you think you can do that?"

"I can try."

"Good. You think you can make it back to our dormitories alright?"

"Yes."

"Good." He nodded. "You go on ahead then, I'll clean up things here, I don't want to have to explain to Filch what we are trying to do here."

She nodded and made her way out of the classroom. She was only a few steps down the dungeon hallways, when she stopped a looked back. Agena felt a sudden burst of curiousity. Annette was still in there. She took a half-step back towards the room. The young Slytherin was feeling slightly conflicted. While it was very tempting to ease her way back towards that door and maybe listen in on what could be going on in there. It was also Annette and Hollis, and she had more respect for the two of them than she had for any of the older students in her house.

Eventually she shook her head and continued on her journey to her dorm rooms. She had some things that she needed to write down.

-

**Author's Note:** Here is another chapter. I would have had it done quicker, but I've been ill, and what little free time I've had, has not been mine to use as I wish. Not to mention I have a whole bunch of fics to catch up on reading. Also I'd thank Iz and Blackdaughter for point out some of my outrageous errors in the last chapter. I have a bad tendency to drop the word 'not' and it's contractual form from words. In trying to duplicate Dumbledore's wordy way of speaking, I've made a bunch of mistakes, I missed when I reread them. And I swear I saw Parvati spelled with an 'R' instead of a 'T' some place.

Thanks again and please review.


	12. Chapter 11 Year 1

**Agena**

**JErosion**

**Chapter 11 – 21 Reasons to hate Draco Malfoy – Year 1**

When Agena had walked out into the hall that morning, she became keenly aware that something had happened. There was an odd sort of energy in the air. And for a Sunday morning, there seemed to be a lot of activity in their dormitory. Several girls ran down the hall and towards the common room.

"Hey, what's going on?" Agena called after an older girl, that brushed her arm when she sped past her. The girl paused and looked back at her. She looked to be a fourth or fifth year, but Agena really didn't know who she was. But judging from the high forehead and the unsightly shape of her lips, Agena could guess that she was probably a Selwyn or maybe even one of the Averys. But that was one of those things about some of the pure-blood families. They were either very good looking, or like this girl, they wore the marks of generations of ill planned marriages between cousins and other uncomfortably close relations. 

"I'm not sure," the girl said. "I heard someone say, that it has something to do with the House Cup."

The girl then turned back and continued on her way down the hall. Agena wasn't sure what to think. Who won the House cup wouldn't be decided upon until the very end of the year. But her curiosity compelled her to move. Agena quickly ducked back into her room and grabbed some warm clothes. Since it was Sunday there was no need for her to have to wear her uniform. Before she left for the bathrooms, she went to her roommate's bed and pulled aside the curtain.

"Daphne. Wake up."

"mmmmm" Daphne groaned, as she rolled away. "... sleeeeeeep."

"Come on, Daphne. Something has happened." Agena tried again, this time shaking the girl's shoulder.

"Nooooooo" 

Agena watched as the brown hair girl proceeded to curl herself into a ball, burying her face into her pillow. Agena then sighed and took a step back from the curtain. Oh well, she tried.

Agena knew that any further efforts would be wasted. When Daphne wanted to sleep in, there was no way anybody would be able to pry her out of bed. And it wasn't even that early. Admittedly Agena would have been up by now. But after having spent the majority of the previous evening working with Hollis again. It was their fourth session in trying to duplicate that piece of accidental magic she had preformed during Halloween.

And for the most part they had made some progress. She had managed to extended the range of the flames to about a good six inches from the tip of her wand. But since "Dummy Flint" stood at least four yards away from her, he was still relatively safe from being cooked. Annette suggested that she stand closer, but Hollis wouldn't hear it, as he was convinced that since Agena was using a wand, she could probably extend the length of the flame all the way across the room.

In fact Hollis was feeling so optimistic that she would be able to pull it off, that he cast a rather clever charm on Dummy Flint's head, so that whenever anybody cast any magic at it, the chalk drawing of his face would change it's expression. Which probably wasn't such a good idea considering how distracting it was to see the troll face go from angry to worried with every wave of a wand. She laughed the first couple of times. But after the novelty wore down, she was able to concentrate a little better and focus on trying to improve her spell.

And like Hollis had suggested, she had taken to writing down her progress in that journal her Aunt had sent her. She made her first entry, describing what had happened that Halloween, then she tried to write about the thoughts that went into her attempts at duplicating the spell. But she found that it was difficult for her to write down the feelings the felt when she preformed her magic, so she eventually acted upon Hollis other suggestion, to draw how it felt. Agena never thought of herself as an artist, but she felt like she had done a fairly good job of illustrating the feel of the spell. Some squiggly lines here, some spiraling arrows there. And what few words she used in her drawing, she wrote them in such a way that they matched the flow of the magic she used. Which sometimes meant that she was writing the letters or even the words backwards.

She could easily interpret what the drawing meant, although that might not be the case for anyone else who just happen to come across her journal. Which sadly was quite important considering that she was in Slytherin. While many of her housemates had the courtesy to respect her personal property. There were far more who would purposely seek the secrets of others for their own means.

And above all, she felt very protective of what she had been able to accomplish. She had working very hard to get the spell to the state it was currently in. And she would be very put off, if someone were to try and take away a claim something, that she worked very hard on, as their own.

For now the drawings would have to do until she found a better system of keeping her thoughts safe. She could always try to encode her words, but there where spells that could easily translate encryptions. Also someone who was skilled in Arithmancy could do the same as well.

Once she was dressed, she left her dorms and quickly ran through the cold and damp halls to the warmth of the "Food" Stairwell. Spring was fast approaching, it still didn't get to what would be considered warm, until around midday. The air in the dungeons, however was still freezing no matter what time of day it was. Up one level above her Agena could see a stream of Hufflepuffs enter the stairway from an entrance a level above her. They were all rushing upwards. Apparently whatever had happened, was already all over the school. This encouraged her to ascend the stairs a little faster.

When she reached the first floor landing her could hear the loud murmur of voices coming from the Great Hall. And up ahead of her, in front of the Hall's main entrance was a small crowd of students. As she got closer, she could pick up hints of the buzzing conversation bounced from student to student. As well as what all the talk seemed to center on. The Point Counters.

In Front of the large double doors that opened into th Great Hall were four large hourglasses. Each one contained different colored gemstones representing each of the four houses. Every time a student earned points for their house, an amount of stones equal to the number of points earned would fall down from the upper basin into the lower chamber of the hourglass. When points were lost, an equal number of stones would float back into the upper reservoir.

She skirted around the group of Hufflepuffs that she had seen on the stairs earlier. And then pushed her way through a small gap that was between a couple of older students. She offered her apologies as she bumped passed them, but none of them really seemed to notice.

"I wonder who messed up?" A tall Ravenclaw asked.

"Couldn't have been just one person," another replied.

"I looks like they're gonna take it for a seventh year in a row."

When Agena reached the front of the crowd, she finally saw what had caused all of the commotion. The far left Hourglass, the one that held the red stones that represented Gryffindor, had a far less in it than what was there the night before. In fact it looked like half of what they had was now gone.

"Please tell me that my eyes deceive me."

"I hate to say this, brother. But its like they said..."

"...a hundred and fifty, gone just like that." the first one finished with a disappointed sigh.

Agena turned to see to the faces of the Weasley twins as they approached the edge of the crowd. 

_A hundred and fifty points? _

Agena's eyes shot over the hourglass that held the yellow stones of Hufflepuff. If they were down a hundred and fifty points that meant they were well bellow the what the badgers had in terms of points. She couldn't help but smile a little, that meant her house was gonna take it. Now, the closest one to them now was Ravenclaw and they had alot of ground to cover before they... would...

Now this wasn't right. Agena brow furrowed. The hourglass on the far right, that contained the green gemstones for Slytherin, also looked like it was missing a good chunk of it's stones as well. She even moved a little closer and gave the glass a tap with her fingers. _Just what the hell happened last night?_

"I see you noticed it too."

Standing not to far behind her was Hollis. His presence seemed to cause the loitering group of students to disperse. Hollis wasn't as built like some of the more hulking members of her house were. But at first glance he was far more intimidating than many of the older boys. Especially when he was wearing that long, leather overcoat of his. Also hanging loosely from around his neck was a scarf, that had stripes of alternate colors of a pale gray and dark green. She doubted that he was wearing the scarf because he was cold.

Their closest rival in the House Cup competition, had just been knocked out of the running. He was wearing his Slytherin scarf like a flag. Hollis may have been a prefect, but he wasn't above being a little antagonistic.

"Come on, I'll give you the story inside," he said, nodding his head towards the double doors that led into the Great Hall.

Apparently her cousin, Draco Malfoy. Had been caught wondering around by Professor McGonagall, last night. And she dragged him, by his ear, all the way down to Professor Snape's apartment. Draco claimed the whole way down that Harry Potter had a dragon. But the story didn't end there. On her way back up to her apartment, she found one of her students wandering the hallways. And then a little later Filch found two more coming down from the Astronomy Tower.

Professor McGonagall was so angry that she took off fifty points for each of her students. The whole lot of them, including Draco, had been been given detention as well. And the worst part of the whole ordeal was the identities of the those that were caught. Harry Potter, who had been hailed as a hero after the last two Quidditch matches, would probably no longer be receiving such a warm reception from his housemates anymore. It was highly surprising to learn that the other two were Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger. Especially Hermione, who usually so adamant about sticking to the rules.

Draco would probably have liked to take credit for bringing about Gryffindor's downfall. But he had lost a full twenty points for their house as well. That was something a lot of the older students were quick to remind him, but the current story going around was that Harry Potter had manufactured the whole dragon story in an attempt to get Draco in trouble. Agena had to admit, that it was a move worthy of a Slytherin, but it didn't work out for him and he got caught. Draco still insisted that there was actually a dragon, but much to his frustration nobody believed him.

"So, it was really Harry Potter?" Agena asked him, between bites of her toast..

"That's what they are saying. Professor Snape... he was in a rather foul mood when he brought Draco into the dorms last night. Although I think it may have been because of the points Draco lost. He is rather fond of having the House Cup in his office. And I do say he was in a much better now. I think I actually saw him skipping down the halls earlier this morning."

"So, how did you find out about Gryffindor?"

"Oh, I heard it from Annette," he nodded towards the slim blond girl, that was chatting away with a bunch of her friends. "And I think she may have heard about what happened from the Bloody Baron. Not that it matters too much, you couldn't keep something like this a secret for long at this school."

"She heard about it from the ghost?"

"Yep, You be surprised just what you could find out, if you spent the time to talk to some of the ghosts or portraits. They pretty much know everything that happens here and are the biggest gossips in this castle."

Then suddenly a large group of boys from her house jumped up from their chairs and began to clap. Like a wave it seemed to travel up and down the length of the Slytherin Table. Confused Agena stood up on top of the bench she was sitting on to look above the heads of the of the students that were at the other tables.

From her new vantage point she could suddenly see why her housemates where clapping. She could see the young boy with the messy head of black hair. He moved uncertainly towards the Gryffindor table. To his credit he he didn't look over to the Slytherin side of the Hall, even with the taunting whistles and shouts of 'thanks' that came from her table. It was sort of sad, but at the same time...

They won. Granted, there was still a lot of time between now and to when the cup would be presented. But for the time being they had a good lead on everybody else. Victory was sweet, but it was even better when it is handed to you through an opponents blunder.

-

"Agena!"

The girl in question looked up from her Transfiguration essay and towards the entry way of the common room. There is saw her roommate bounding towards, with frenetic speed. Agena braced herself, expecting to be knocked back into the couch and locked in a bone popping hug by the approaching girl.

Instead the Greengrass girl jumped and landed right next to her on the couch, causing Agena to bounce slightly from the impact. Agena looked cautiously at the girl next to her. Daphne was looking rather giddy at the moment, and when she was in that state it wasn't uncommon for her to embrace those around her, in her vise like hug.

"Look! I got a letter from from my sister!" she said, a little too loudly. Agena peered around the room, she hadn't been the only one to be working on assignments for class. This was a particularly delicate part of the school year. Everybody had their end-of-year exams coming up. But for the fifth and seventh years they had their O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s to contend with. And Daphne being in her excited state seemed to be oblivious to the looks of annoyance that was being cast in her direction.

"Not so loud. There are people who are trying to study." Agena hushed. Most of students went back to their work, everyone except for Marcus Flint. Who was still shooting her a rather nasty look. It seemed that the sixth year prefect, still had not forgiven her for the Halloween incident. Although Agena like to think that she had done him a small favor by ridding him of some of the dark hair that seem to cover just about every inch of him. She was almost inclined to say that his mother had an unfortunate encounter with a gorilla. Although she was sure that observation would get her get her a few laughs, but she also knew how bad of an idea it was to say it out loud.

"You got to see this!" Daphne bounced excitedly, ignoring Agena's earlier plea not to be so loud. She opened on end of the envelope and pulled out several sheets of parchment along with a decent sized stack of photographs.

"Alright! But _not so loud_!" Agena whispered. Daphne handed her the pictures.

"That's my sister," Daphne said in a thankfully lower voice. The top most photo showed four people standing around a large crate. Daphne's sister, Dahlia, was the only female in the group. Agena had to say that both of them looked a lot alike. Though the young woman in the picture had much longer hair than Daphne. She was also very... curvy. She didn't wear traditional robes, instead she wore some rather form fitting muggle clothing. But the others in the photograph were dress in muggle garbs as well. Dragon keepers had very little need for the loose robes that a good number of wizards usually wore. Muggle style of clothing was less likely to get snagged by claws or horns.

"She says that she was in Hogsmeade about two weeks. But she didn't have enough time to come up to the school and see me, although she did stop by my Aunt's place to say hello."

"Oh, You have an Aunt in Hogsmeade?"

"Yep," Daphne grinned proudly. "She runs a tavern down there."

"Really?"

"uh huh, She's owned it for several years."

Agena was looking at the looking at the photo when she noticed that one of the young men looked rather familiar.

"Hey Daphne? Agena asked. "Did your sister say who her friends are?"

"Yeah" she started to look though the letter that she had pulled out of the envelope. "She says that the guy with the goatee is named Timothee MacFusty, the one next to him is a guy named Reed. And that one on her left is Charlie Weasley."

"I thought the red hair was familiar."

"Dahlia talks about him a lot. I think she said he had five brothers, and a little sister too."

"Whoa, that is a lot of Weasleys." Agena said. The statement made Daphne laugh.

"Oh, and my sister says that happens to be Norbert." She said pointing at the slotted crate, where the four were gathered around.

Agena could just make out what appeared to be a small dragon.

"That's why my sister couldn't really stop by, she and the others were transporting it to the reservation Romania. Oh, and listen to this, my sister said she meet Harry Potter."

"What?!" Agena asked.

"Yeah, I guess it is sort of big deal for her, I mean we go to school with him and see him in the halls all the time. Of coarse we have never talk to him. But she has never seen him before."

Agena looked at Daphne for a moment, wondering how she could not put it together. Her a sister was training to be a dragon keeper, and she was in Hogsmeade last week. Never mind that Gryffindor just lost a hundred and fifty points about two weeks ago for being out after curfew. Nor that Draco Malfoy was still swearing that Harry Potter had a dragon, in fact Draco claimed that it was a...

"um, Did your sister say what kind of dragon that was?" she asked slowly.

"hmmm, ah right here, she says Norbert is a Norwegian Ridgeback."

Agena then let out a nervous laugh.

"Um, Daphne, you might not want to tell anybody else about your sister being in Hogsmeade," Agena whispered to her roommate. 

"Huh. Why not?"

"Well,..." Agena sighed, "Remember what my cousin said about Potter having a dragon, he said it was a Ridgeback. And you just said you sister was helping to transport one to the reserve in Romania. And she just happen to recently meet Potter some how."

Agena could see that Daphne finally got, what she had picked up on immediately.

"You don't want someone like Draco finding out about this. He would take your letters and pictures and start blabbing to anyone who would listen. He'd do it just to get Potter expelled, and if that happened it would eventually led your sister and her friends. And they would probably get into some serious trouble for handling an illegal dragon."

Ironically it was at that time the entry way into the common room opened to allow none other that Draco Malfoy to enter the room. Daphne squeaked and began to shove her letter and her pictures back into the envelope that they came from. Agena thought for a moment. _What was that Muggle adage? Ah, yes. Speak of the devil and he shall appear. _

"I can't believe that McGonagall! She assigns a six foot essay on the same night I have to serve that blasted detention. But she gave her house the homework two days." he prattled on to Crabbe and Goyle, who always followed him around like a shadows.

Malfoy didn't seem to notice her as he plopped himself down on a couch that was on the other side of the coffee table she was working on. Moving as quickly and as quietly as she could, Agena began to put away the books and papers she had out in front of her. 

"Agena. You get high marks."

Agena cringed and looked up. She found Draco looking towards her, but not quite at her. Really his eyes seemed more focused on the sheets of parchment her essay was written on.

"I need to see your essay," he said bluntly. The was no 'please' or 'May I borrow...' It was more like she was given a command.

For the life of her Agena actually looked over her should, just on the off chance that there might be another person named Agena that was standing behind her. Much as she expected, the air behind her was unoccupied, and this simple fact alone prompted her ask him question.

"Why?"

"There no telling when this detention will be over with. And I won't have the time to work on it tomorrow night either."

"Well, that's your problem now. Looks like you'll have to do your homework tomorrow night instead of hanging all over the Quidditch team like you usually do," she said with a defiant smirk.

"A little corporation would be appreciated."

"It seems to me, that I can think of at least twenty reasons just to say no."

"Oh, come off of it! We are in the lead now because of me. There's no way that Gryffindor can win now."

"HA!" Agena sneered. "You didn't get us in the lead! All you did was whine to Professor Snape. _I swear professor he has a dragon. I got Weasley's letter right here. Harry Potter had a Norwegian Ridgeback on the Astronomy tower, I swear!_" She punctuated that last bit in a whiny tone in an effort to mimic her cousin. And from the way his ears turned pink, she could tell that she was getting under his skin.

"HE HAD A DRAGON!"

"oh, I'm _sure _he did. Just next time you try to get another student expelled, at least come up with a better story. A Ridgeback, really? Just where would Potter even get a dragon that rare from? If you had to make something up like that you could have at least said it was a more common and pratical, like a Welsh Green or Hebridean Black."

"I didn't make anything up!" Draco exclaimed, his whole face flushed with anger.

During the coarse of the argument Agena had carefully picked up her wand from off of the table, and slide it up the sleeve of her robes. She held it in such a way that all she would need to do was just flick her hand and it would fall into place. Maybe she was being paranoid. But she felt a little more secure with the idea of being able to arm herself quickly, if she had to. And considering that Draco did not like to lose arguments, especially with everyone in the common room staring at him.

"Well you can say that all you want. But do keep in mind, that it wasn't something you did that lost Gryffindor all those points. They might be in last place, but because of you Ravenclaw is now twenty points closer to catching up with us."

In most cases Draco might be able to drum up the support of some of the older students. But with the way he had been running his mouth lately and the twenty point he lost, his popularity in their house had waned a great deal.

"Now if you don't mind," Agena said, standing up. "I'll be taking my finished homework to my room."

It all happened quick. She had averted her eyes for just a moment, just long enough to gather up her essay in her left hand. But that was all the time that he needed to draw his wand. One thing was for certain he was quick. Faster than she was, at least. But maybe that was her own fault. She was feeling a bit confident, maybe a little too confident that he wouldn't pull anything in the common room. That was probably her second mistake. Her first was not leaving sooner.

She only had enough time to let her wand slide down into her grip. Next to her Daphne cried out a warning, but even then it was already too late. Draco already had his wand pointed at her and it's tip was already admitting a fuzzy white light. They were too close for her to be able to dodge it.

"_...Totalus!_"

It was then that such an odd feeling that coursed through her. One moment she was looking at... looking at Draco, now she was looking her gaze was focused solely on the ceiling. Agena almost felt like she was underwater. There was this pressure on her chest, that kept her from being able to breathe too deeply. Also the way things sounded was almost muffled or distant. And stranger still, she couldn't move. Her legs were clamped together and her arms and hands were stuck at her side.

She found that she could move her eyes, but her inability to move her head, left her with highly limited vision. Though she was aware of the sounds that was nearby. It was muffled, but it sounded like panicked crying. But who...

As she remembered, she received a sense of panic of her own. Daphne! She was the one that was crying. Agena tried to look at her and see if she was okay. But she couldn't. Her spoiled runt of a cousin had hit her with a body binding curse. 

And unfortunately, Daphne was completely useless in situations like this. She just wasn't able to think clearly while under this sort of stress. Knowing her she wouldn't even try to arm herself , which to be honest, it was probably for the best, as she absolute rubbish when it came defensive spells. And from the sound of things she wouldn't even be able to cast the counter spell, until she calmed down a little.

But the worried sniffles of Daphne wasn't the only sound in the room. She could hear laughter come from the other side of the coffee table. She looked towards it and found her cousin standing, he was looking down at her with a face that was brimming anger. He wasn't laughing. Those two boys that had followed Draco to the couch were chuckling. But they weren't the one ones, there was other laughter and giggles coming from unseen sources from around the room. But the one that she could see was Marcus Flint. He was happily clapping away.

_How dare he_, she thought bitterly. He was a prefect, he was suppose to stop these sort of things from happening. But no, he was still holding a grudge over what had happened during Halloween. But the truth was that even if she hadn't burned him, she doubted that he would have done anything to stop what was happening.

In fact nobody did anything. All of those little study groups that dotted the common room, not one person made a move to say anything or to help her. They all just sat there and watched. And it And it was then that she was suddenly reminded of where she was and the state that she was in. There was no Hollis or Annette in there to help her out. She was all alone. She could feel the anger begin to flare inside her. She couldn't stay like this. She couldn't let this happen to herself.

A sudden movement by Draco brought her eyes back to him. He leaned in over the table, his eyes were boring into her.

"You should know your place," he said slowly. His voice was shaky and his face was very pink. This may have very well been the first time he ever cast a spell like that, outside of instruction. Agena would have screamed if she could have. Draco reached out and took hold of the parchment she had been writing her essay on.

_ABSOLUTELY NOT!_ Her mind screamed. _That was something I worked on! Nearly four hours or research and writing. He had absolutely no right to take it away from me! He had no right to touch it! He had no right to even look at it!_

Then something happened. A subtle sound filled the common room. Something akin to the sound made, when a length of twine was pulled so taut that it snaps. And with that very sound she was standing upright again. Her wand was shooting out a stream of white and green sparks. When she had been hit by Draco's spell she had managed to keep it in her hand.

All the color drained from her cousin's face. Even the low laughter that had wafted through the chamber ceased as well. But she payed no attention to the others in the room. Her eyes were set on Draco as she leveled her wand at him. He stumbled backwards, trying to bring his wand back up. But he was unable to before Agena's anger erupted and manifested itself in the form of guttural scream, that was accompanied by a caustic blue light that shot out from her wand.

-

**Author's Note:** Yes. I ended the chapter there. I don't really have much in terms of notes for this chapters. I thought it might be nice to see the Slytherin perspective of Gryffinfor losing the points they did. Also I mentioned Daphne having an older sister way back in chapter... 4. I finally gave her he name Dahlia Greengrass. And I hope folks will forgive me for connecting her with Madame Rosemerta. Also I took some liberties with the first book by saying Charlie Weasley had been one of the ones that come to take Norbert from the top of the Astronomy Tower. Rowling said no such thing in the first book but I thought 'what the hell' and I put him in there. The other two don't really matter all that much, although MacFusty is a name mentioned in Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them. They look after Britain's population of Hebridean Blacks.

Oh from the previous Chapter I went nuts with the Philosopher's Stone and Gamp's Law. I know it probably sounds like I stole a lot of that from a certain anime and manga series, but I just made up Gamp's laws from things already mentioned in the books. Also on a side note, the precious metals I mentioned in the previous Chapter are all located together on the Periodic Table of the Elements. Groups 10 and 11 I believe.

I think that's it, So please review, and tune in next time when I tell you what happens to Draco and what happens to Agena.


	13. Chapter 12 Year 1

**Agena**

**JErosion**

**Chapter 12 – The Glimmering Path – Year 1**

She really wished he would stop doing that. She might have been willing to ask him to quit, but at this moment she didn't think that she could muster the courage necessary to even meet the man's eye. Part of her mused that this was to be her punishment, listening to him incessantly drum his fingers on his desk.

Not likely.

But knowing the kind of man the head of her house was, she doubted that she would be let off easy. And as if he was somehow reading her mind his fingers stopped. Which somehow, was not as much of a relief as she thought it would be.

"Ms. Culverin, I don't suppose you are going to tell me what spell you used on Draco?"

Agena shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Even though he spoke spoke softly, Professor Snape's deep voice boomed through the arched ceiling of his dungeon office. It sent chills down her spine. Even without the strange acoustics, his office would have been creepy. Professor Snape's office was also home to his private store. Apothecary draws lined the walls, and they were labeled with ingredients that ranged from the common to the obscure. But the worst part and perhaps the most interesting was his bookshelves. Which where home to many jars that all contained a variety of morbidly fascinating objects. One particularly large jar, that was on the bottom most shelf, had what looked to be a troll fetus in it. At least that's all that she hoped it was.

After what had happened in the common room, someone had gotten the sense to go get Professor Snape. Of course this couldn't have happened while she had been under the body-binding curse her cousin zapped her with. No, Professor Snape had to show up, right after she freed herself from the curse and had retaliated against Draco for it.

Professor Snape wasted no time and dragged her to his office and instructed her to wait there and not touch anything, until he came back. It seemed like he had been gone for hours. Time moves incredibly slow when the only thing you have to do was read the labels that marked the many draws that lined Professor Snape's walls. Or when you look at a bunch of jars that had odd body parts suspended in liquid inside them. And you could only look at that for so long.

"Well?" Professor Snape asked clearly irritated that she had not answered him already.

"i-I didn't use a spell, sir." She swallowed. She took a deep breath and raised her head a little. "I just pointed my wand and thought nasty things."

"Did you now?!" He snapped back in a sarcastic tone.

It was the truth. It was just like that magic she had used on Flint. She just let her magic fly. And coincidently, Draco went flying too. Her magic had hit him so hard, that Draco did a flip in the air before he landed in a heap on the other side of the couch. The blast had also rendered him unconscious. And that was good thing considering how he looked when she moved around the couch to see what she had done to him.

"When I left the hospital wing Madame Pomfrey had managed to get rid of the webbing between his fingers and toes, as well as the fins. However she seemed to be having some trouble getting the barnacles to fall off of him."

There was a pause were he just stared at her. Agena almost felt like he was testing her. Maybe to seeing if she might break down and show some guilt. The only problem with that idea was that she wasn't sorry at all. She felt that Draco got exactly what he deserved.

"At least he didn't have gills."

"This is no time to be making jokes!" Snape slammed his palm on the table, causing Agena jump in her seat.

"Yes, sir."

"And I believe we have _already _had this talk before."

"Yes, sir."

"There are penalties for using magic like this on other people. It doesn't matter if it was intentional or not. "

"y-Yes... sir."

"I hope you are aware that Draco's father sits on the school's board of governors. You could very well be expelled for what you've done," The Professor openly speculated.

Expulsion was serious. But somehow she knew it that it wouldn't come to that.

"I don't think so, sir." she responded as respectfully as she could.

"Oh? And just what makes you so confident that you wouldn't be?"

"Because I hardly think that _Draco_... will want to explain to his father that he hexed a girl so he could steal her homework. Nor do I think he want to tell him how that same girl threw off his curse and then blasted him across the room. And if he was to try and have me expelled, I don't think he could keep such details a secret. So. I doubt that Mr. Malfoy would want that sort of embarrassment in front of the other governors."

For a moment she thought she saw the corners of his mouth turn up slightly.

"um, Besides, sir." She started as another thought occurred to her. "This is more of an internal matter for Slytherin. An expulsion would only bring what happened to the attention of the Headmaster and the rest of the school. And that would most likely jeopardize our current lead in the House Cup competition... And if Slytherin where to win again this year, there would be an entire class of students who had only known of a victorious Slytherin. The fact that..."

"You can stop there," Professor Snape interrupted. "Do not think of me to be foolish enough to be manipulated by just a few carefully chosen words. While I admire the gall you show by trying to talk you way out of trouble, you must understand that things are not so simple."

Agena opened her mouth, but closed it again without saying anything. _Was that what I was doing?_

"Your initial arguments against expulsion are very astute. Even if Draco's father would to seek it, I doubt that Professor Dumbledore would allow such a thing under his tenure. Now, I do agree that this is an internal matter. You said that much, correct?"

"um, Yes, sir." she nodded.

"Even though you were in your right for _defending _yourself, the degree in which you struck back is far too great to overlook. And... _who_ you struck against can not be over looked either."

Agena cocked her head back, not understanding exactly what the professor was implying. She was about to ask. But he held up a hand to silence her up coming protest.

"You must receive a punishment for what you have done tonight. It must happen not because it's unfair, but because it is expected. As a Slytherin, you know that there are certain considerations that must be observed. Ones that go well beyond what happens in this school.

"Draco was to serve his detention tonight for his break in curfew. Since he is currently unable to, I will have to reschedule the detention for a later date. You will serve also serve a detention for what you have done. Now, I will give you the option of serving the detention that he was suppose to serve tonight or you can serve detention with Draco when he serves his."

It wasn't something that she had to put too much thought into. She had already finished her essay and with what she had just done, it will probably be a good idea to get out of the common room for a while. Besides she barely liked being in the same room as Malfoy, she surely didn't want to serve a detention with him.

"I... I'd rather... Serve the detention tonight, sir."

"Very well. You are to meet Filch in front of the main entrance tonight at eleven o'clock," he said as he took a small scrape of paper out of a drawer and then scribbled a few words on it with a quill he had on his desk. Once he was done he tore off the page and slid it towards her. "Give that to Filch, when you arrive, and don't be late. You'll be serving you detention tonight with the grounds keeper. I understand that he will be patrolling the forest tonight, so I recommend that you dress accordingly."

She didn't think that it was fair, but she understood the meaning of his words and what he meant. Slytherin politics. It wasn't just something that students had to deal with, as the head of their house he did too. And Draco Malfoy, despite being a thief and a generally rotten human being, would always be able to curry more favor because he was a pure-blood. But at least there was one consolation. She doubted that Draco, or anybody else for that manner, would ever try something like that on her again.

Professor Snape dismissed her and told her that she should prepare herself for her detention, which was only two hours away. But before she left he added one more thing.

"Don't be surprised if the Headmaster has a word with you about what you have done."

"Sir?" She asked, feeling slightly confused. The Professor had told her that he agreed that this was an internal matter for Slytherin. _But did that mean he already reported the incident to the headmaster. Or did he have to do it?_

"There is a reason that he was elected as headmaster. When I took Draco to the hospital wing, Professor Dumbledore was already waiting there. He even took the time to examen Draco himself."

"He knew?"

"Indeed he did. As I said, he wasn't made the headmaster by accident."

"Was he angry, Sir?"

Snape looked her, his eyes were as calculating as even.

"No," He told her after a long pause. "He seemed to be the opposite. I believe I heard him say that it seemed like you had been rather thorough with your wand work."

Agena nodded to her teacher before backing away and heading out of the office. She supposed that Professor Snape was right, Professor Dumbledore didn't miss a thing.

-

At ten minutes till even, Agena found herself under the steady gaze of Argus Filch. He looked down at the piece of paper she handed to him and then back up at her. Then he repeated of rereading the note and then looking back up at her. With each passing second the grin on his face grew wider and wider. Agena tried to not look at his smile. His teeth were a disgusting myrriad of colors, that she was fairly certain that teeth were never meant to be.

"Thought you'd be doing some fight'n now?" He said with a nasty grin.

"No," Agena shook her head. "I was defending myself."

"mmmm, Note doesn't say anything about that."

She eyed Filch carefully. If she remembered correctly, some of the other students said that the old caretaker was a squib. It was an unfortunate position for anyone in their world. Normally such people were pitied. They grew up in a magical household, only to see a glimpse of a world that they would never truly be a part of. But it was hard to feel sympathetic towards Filch. As he spent so much of his time harassing the students he passed down the hall.

Maybe he was that way out of resentment. Seeing so many people doing the things he couldn't because of what he didn't have. Of course he was probably bitter long before he even came to work at the school. Squibs were usually the product of pure-blood families, rather than mixed ones. And such offspring where generally disowned. And there were always hushed rumors that such children were even killed by their parents, rather than let it become known that their family had produced a squib.

"Its not going to," Agena said back to him. "And wasn't even a fight, I was just showing a thief what happens when he tries to steal from the wrong person."

"Your a cheeky one." He sneered. "You can say what you like, but your the one in detention."

"That's only because there are certain people who strut around here thinking they can do whatever they want just because of who their parents are. You know the ones I'm talking about. The ones that think some people are lesser, just because of the way they were born."

It was a bit much, but it did cause that nasty little smile he wore to fall off of his face. She could see his lips tremble slightly, like he was tempted to say something, but couldn't. But at the same time he seemed to get an oddly fearful look in his eyes. At least that's how it looked to her. Whatever response that he might have been tempted to say became forgotten as a voice punctuated the silence of the chamber they stood in.

"Agena?"

She looked up and saw a small group of student descending a small flight of stairs.

"Hermione." Agena returned the acknowledgment with a small nod. She looked confused, Not that Agena could blame her. After all she was the person that should have been standing were she was right now. But the question that she expected from Hermione came, from another source.

"Shouldn't Malfoy be here?"

Agena looked at the boy with the dark hair and the round rim glasses. She found herself smiling for some reason.

"I don't think he going to be able to manage tonight." She told them.

"And what is that suppose to mean?"

"hmm, Let's just say that the reason why I'm here for detention, is the same reason why Draco is in currently in the hospital wing."

Agena smiled seeing the reactions of both Hermione and the Potter boy. She could already see new questions forming in both of their heads. But that would have to wait for later.

"None of you are here for socializing. You got punishments to receive." Filch said flatly he lit a lantern. "Come on."

The caretaker lead them outdoors and across the school grounds. A few yards away from the door he started talking. "I bet the lot of you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again... Hard work and pain are best teacher if you ask me... It's such a pity they let the old punishments die out..."

He kept going on like that. Talking how if it was up to him he would have all four of them hanging by their toes in the dungeon.

"Agena, what did you mean when you said Malfoy was in the hospital wing?" Hermione whispered in a low voice. She kept her eyes on Filch, watching him to see if he might round on them and yell that they needed to be quiet. Between them and Filch, walked Harry Potter and the other boy, Neville Longbottom. As they followed the caretaker, Agena could heard sniffs coming from the accident prone child.

"Earlier he wanted to burrow my homework so he could copy it." She told her in an equally quiet voice. In frotn of them she could see Potter turn his head slightly, mostly likely to help him listen in. "But I refused and we started to argue. He shot me with a curse, and then tried to take my work. And then I got even."

"What did you do to him?"

"Well..." she paused not sure what to tell them. How could she explain what she had done to her cousin? "After I got finished with him, he looked like he had just been dredged up from the bottom of the Black Lake."

It was sort of a lie, but it wasn't too far from the truth either. And Draco did look like the giant squid, that inhabited the Black Lake, had used him as a plaything. Besides she was pretty sure that she couldn't replicate what she had done to him. She was having enough trouble trying to repeat that fire spell of hers. And a lie was better than having to try and explain herself again. She had gotten enough of that when she returned to the Slytherin Dormitories after her talk with Professor Snape.

The reception she received when she got back was... interesting. A small gaggle of second years who were talking near the entry way, ran at the very sight of her. The last time she had seen the common room that crowded was Halloween night, when they had sent down a table filled with foods from the feast. And just like then she found herself being stared at by a good number of her housemates. When she had tried to make her way to her room, she found her path blocked by Marcus Flint and few others that were a part of 'their' crowd. She could see Crabbe and Goyle standing with their arms crossed, trying to look as menacing as possible.

_'So, I guess your off to pack your bags now?'_

'_Oh, Whatever for? You don't think I've been expelled, do you?'_ she replied in a cool voice. A new sense of confidence came over her. She could hear some of the things that people were whispering about.

'_Attacking another student is a pretty good reason for you to get your ass booted out of here!'_ he said with a sneer.

_'It might be, but for now it looks like all I will have to do is serve a detention.'_ She knew she was pushing her luck with this, but when it came to these people she just felt a need to push a little further. _'Beside Professor Snape and the Headmaster know talent when they see it. So I don't think that they are about to kick me out of school.' _

She walked around him and walked straight towards Crabbe and Goyle with a devious smirk on her face. And just like she thought, the fearsome looks that they wore were nothing more than a thin veneer, which fell away as she approached. They quickly revealed just how terrified they were of her as they they moved out of her way.

'_hmmmp, You think your hot stuff, don't you Culverin? That you think you can get away with anything?'_ a nearby voice taunted at her.

Agena turned to see the dark haired girl that she herself had got into so many fights with. Pansy Parkinson was standing much like Crabbe and Goyle were. But unlike them, she showed absolutely no fear. Intimidation wouldn't work on this girl, at least not from her. They had known each other for too long. That left Agena with one course of action.

'_Yes, Pansy. I sure do.'_

She walked away before the girl could think of a comeback. When she reached her room she found that she had a couple of visitors. She didn't get the chance to say hello to either of them, because Daphne immediately ran up and plowed into her, wrapping her arms around Agena's shoulders. She was crying again, and she kept saying that she was 'sorry' over and over again.

During the time that she had been in Snape's office, Daphne had sequestered herself in their room. The girl had was so upset with herself, and kept apologizing because she hadn't done anything to help her when Malfoy had cursed her.

Looking over Daphne's shoulder, Agena could see Tracy Davis wave her hand at her, she was sitting on Daphne's bed, right next to where her roommate had been sitting. For a moment she saw the girl make a small smile. But as soon as her greeting was made her face disappeared again behind her long blond hair.

Agena then turned and nodded to the other blond, who sat in one of the desk chairs. It seemed that Annette Yaxley had been waiting there for some time. Along with Tracy, she had been looking after Daphne. But the fifth year prefect was really interested in was her side of what had happen. After assuring Daphne that it was okay, Agena told the older girl everything that she could remember. In the end Annette seemed more relieved that she hadn't tried to use that spell that she had been working with Hollis to develop.

Hollis it seemed, had been scared that she had done the same thing and had left the dorms to check for the hospital wing to check on the status of Draco. As Agena prepared herself for the detention that she was going to have to serve. Annette started to relate to her all of the rumors that were now flying around.

First off, it seemed that Agena display of magic had scared a good number of people. She threw off a body binding spell without any assistance. And then hit her attacker with a curse that nobody had ever seen before. They were calling her a '_Dark Magic Prodigy'_. Which Agena sort of had mixed feeling about. For one it would make people show her some respect.

Because in Slytherin there were only two ways to get respect. First was though blood, the second was by proving how capable you were. And after what had happened she doubted that anyone would dare to try and take her things again. Sadly it also opened her up to those who would only want to be her '_friend_' because she showed off how powerful she could be.

But at the same time she was only in her first year, she didn't need that sort of label on her. And considering who her mother was... and her father...

"Filch! Is that you?" a voice boomed. "Come on bring them down I want to get started on this."

Suddenly broken from her thoughts Agena looked around the people ahead of her and finally saw that they had been approaching Hagrid's hut. She had sort of forgotten that they would be working him.

"oh. I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself tonight? Filch sneered at Harry. Apparently he had smiled when he had heard Hagrid's voice. "Think again, boy. It's the forest your all off to, and you best have the luck with you, if you want to make it to morning in one piece." And then he added with a gleeful cackle, "Imagine the werewolves would just love to get a hold of you."

Next to Harry Neville let out a little whimper. Potter on the other had stared back at him steadfast.

"Abou' time," Hagrid said as he strode towards them, "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. You all right, Harry, Hermione,..."

It was the first time she had really seen the gamekeeper since the day she was sorted. And Hagrid was as imposing as ever. And if his size wasn't enough, he was also carrying a large crossbow, and a quiver that was full of bolts. She saw Hagrid's black little eyes drift to her, she could already tell that he was to ask what she was doing with them.

"You shouldn't be getting too friendly with them, Hagrid." Filch said with a huff. "They're here to be punished, after all."

"Ah, I see, that's why yer late." Hadrid replied with a frown. Yeh've bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot yer place ter begin with. yeh can go on back ter castle. I'll take'm now."

Filch snarled at him and muttered that he would be back at dawn for what was left of them. The statement made Neville let out another squeak. But thankfully Filch turned and started to return towards the castle.

"It was Agena was'nit?" Hagrid asked her, once Filch had moved sufficiently out of ear shot. "Don' think I've seen yeh aroun' the castle too much. What yer doing 'ere, anyway? I thought that little white 'aired boy was suppose be 'ere?"

"Oh, him?," Agena fidgeted. Her face colored slightly. "He's up in the hospital wing right now, getting himself sorted out by Madame Pomfey. And I'm here because... well... I'm the one that put him there."

"Really now? Yeh know yer shouldn't be fightin', especially against someone from yer own house."

"I know,... But he was trying to steal some of my things."

"An' they gave yeh detention for that?"

"Yeah," she started with a soft, mirthless laugh. She noticed that both Harry Potter and the Longbottom boy were paying attention to what she was saying. "Professor Snape felt that I was... a little excessive when I... try to get him back."

"Still s'not a good idea to be fightin' like that." Hagrid said to her before he looked out to the whole group. "Now, I want all of yeh ter listen carefully, 'cause what we're doin' tonight is rather dangerous. Follow me over here a moment. hmm,... Where is he now,... Fang!"

At Hagrid's call, there was a jingle of of what sounded like a chain. Then something started to move out from the pumpkin patch that was out in back of Hagrid's hut. Agena's eyes widened as she saw what had to be the largest dog she had ever seen approached them. Wagging its tale or not, Agena couldn't help but take a step back. It's head was big enough that it could eat her head in one bite. Not that she really had a problem dogs, aside from that scare she had when she was younger. It was just this dog was... it was huge!

But Hagrid was a large man himself. And the gameskeeper patted the dog on it's side and began to walk towards the edge of the forest. Fang followed his master, wagging his tail the whole way. The rest of them followed.

"Now look 'ere." Hagrid said, pointing at the ground. There was a thin spotty trail of a silvery liquid that weaved out from the forest and then back into it again. "Yeh see that shinny stuff there. That's unicorn blood. An' I'd say somethin' hurt this one bad. An' this is the secon' time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. And if it comes down to it, we might even have ter put it out of its misery.

"Now 'ere's the problem, we don't know which way it went, so we'll 'ave to split up inter two parties and follow the trail in diff'rent directions to see were it ends. Now, let's see 'ere. I'll take Agena and Hermione an' go this way, an' Harry, you an' Neville can take Fang an' follow the right path. Now if you see sum'tan, or you find it I want yeh to shoot some red sparks in that air."

"b-But... w-what about the werewolves?" Neville croaked, it was really the first the he had said since they had come out there.

"Don't pay any attention to that werewolf nonsense that Filch was spouting." Agena told him. She peered up to the sky where the moon was peeking out from a hole in the clouds. "Take a look, we're three days past the full moon, so there can't be any werewolves in the forest."

"th-Then what's killing the unicorns?"

That was a more complicated question than anyone truly had an answer for. And for a dreadful moment Agena let her mind drift to the frightening possiblities of what could be doing such a thing. Unicorns were highly magical creatures, and the number of beasts that could actually do one harm to one was few. But even then, Unicorns didn't have any natural predators.

So that left only two real possibilities. First, the thing that was hunting and killing the unicorns was either some dark or deranged magical beast. Or second the killer was human. In truth Agena wasn't sure which idea was scarier. But there was one way to tell.

"um, Hagrid the one you found." Agena started to ask. "What condition was it in? I mean was anything taken off of it? Like maybe it killed by a human?"

"No," the gamekeeper shook his head. " I thought abou' that when first time I saw it, but the horn an' the mane was intact. There was just a wound on it's side."

That didn't help settle her fears. It still meant that there could still be an animal or worst a human hunter that was just killing the unicorns for sport. But even then a sport hunter would have taken some sort of trophy off of it.

Agena looked at Neville the poor boy looked pale, like he was close to fainting. Then her gaze fell to the other boy. He was kneeing down, he was looking at the silvery blood that lay on the ground. And a thought formed in Agena head. One that was closely tied to her memory of the Mirror of Erised.

"um, Hagrid." Agena said cautiously, looking away from the terrified Longbottom boy. "It might be better if you switched out me and Neville."

"eh, Why yeh askin' ter do that?" The large man asked, she could she his shaggy eyebrows arc up in surprise.

"Well,... uh, no offense to Neville, but as scared as he is right now, I think he might be better off if he sticks by you. Besides I think I can handle my own in a forest, I use to play all the time in the woods near my Aunt's house." She ventured a glance over at the boy to see that his face was flushed with embarrassment, but at the same time he also looked hopeful that Hagrid would agree.

"Well I don' see no harm in'it. Tha' all right with yeh, Neville?"

Neville shook his head quickly, dispelling any notion that he might not be in favor of the new arrangement.

"Alright then, lets get started. Remember yeh two," Hagrid said and he addressed both her and Harry. "Yeh get in ter trouble or find somethin', send the red sparks up in the air. I don' want either of yeh ter take any risks."

She nodded to him and Potter did the same. Hagrid then patted side of his dog again, and told it to stay go with them. The large canine cocked it's head to the side, as if understanding what it's master had told him. And like Hagrid had instructed the dog stayed with them, even though he watched as Hagrid and the others disappeared, following their trail into the forest.

Agena then turned slightly to look at the boy who now stood just a few paces away from her. For the first time in while she felt a little unsure of herself. This was Harry Potter. The boy-who-lived. The boy who, at the age of one defeated the Dark Wizard, Voldemort.

Since the beginning of school, she had always wanted the chance to talk to him. And after the seeing the things she saw in the Mirror of Erised, she had only grown more curious about him. And more curious about Voldemort as well. So the question was, who was Harry Potter? How many people could say something about him, other than the legend that already preceded him. And what of the vanquished? Who was the Dark Lord? Was he always a evil wizard. Or was there a point were he could have stepped back and become something else?

He turned and they made eye contact.

"uh, Hi." She tried to smile, but instead her face turned red and she found her eyes drifting everywhere but him.

"So," he said. "Your Hermione's friend."

"I'd like to think so."

"Culverin, right?"

"That's me." she said nodding. She looked at his scar for a moment. "And your H... Potter."

"That's what they tell me."

"mmm, Right," she nodded with a nervous smile. Her hand twitched at her side. Normally she may have extended her hand out, but there was a sort of awkward apprehension between them. She was a Slytherin after all.

They fell quiet for a while. A passing clouded dimmed the moonlight slightly, and a soft breeze blew out of the forest.

"So, we should probably get started." He said.

"Um, right." She nodded. "Wands out then?"

"Right."

They stepped into the woods cautiously. The trees grew thick quickly, creating a heavy canopy that allowed only sparse bits of moonlight to filter though. Both of them walked along opposite sides of the silvery trail. Fang walked back and forth between them, keeping his nose close to the ground. No doubt the dog was looking for some stray scent to track.

They walked in silence the whole way. There wasn't much for them to talk about. Being from the two houses, that had the most tension between them. She knew nothing about him, he probably knew nothing about her. The probably had no common ground other that an ever present disdain for Draco Malfoy.

She took another side long glance at the Gryffindor, he bore a similarity to the man from the mirror. The fair skin, along with dark messy hair. The boy was an orphan also. And he was powerful, or at least enough to survive the killing curse.

"Why do you keep starring at me?"

"w-What... I... I'm not..."

"You are." He said coming to a stop.

"I... well... uh, y-your short." Agena felt the sudden urge to slap herself in the forehead. She couldn't have told him that she was comparing him to an image of her father she saw in a magic mirror. But she had to go an say what had to be the dumbest thing to ever come out of her mouth.

But even as she admonished herself, for what she had accidentally said. There was this little voice in her head that was quick to point out that he was a little on the short side. Almost by three inches shorter than her. A little scrawny too.

"What?" Potter asked her with a frown.

"I'm sorry. It's just that... I'm nervous and the silence was just getting to me."

Yet Potter continued to stare at her with a frown on his face.

"I'm not short." after a long pause, and began walking again.

Agena sighed before, continuing to walk on her side of the glimmering path. They walked in silence, the only real sounds came from the crunch of leaves and twigs beneath their feet and the occasional jingle of Fang's collar. But after a while he stopped and looked over his shoulder at her.

"So, You cursed Malfoy?" He asked quietly. The question kind of caught Agena off guard. But instead of questioning why he would want to suddenly talk to her, especially after she had just insulted him. She elected to give him an answer. Besides she was happy just to have some sort of conversation to take her mind off of what could be lurking out there.

"Yeah, I knocked him flat on his ass." she replied quietly as well. There was no need to talk too loudly, they needed to be able to hear what might be out there.

"What did you curse him with?"

Another difficult question that she didn't have an answer to. So she did her best to answer.

"Well, I'm not saying, but... " she paused for effect. "If you want to have some fun, just wait till the next time he tries to give you any lip. Just scrunch up your nose and ask him why he smells like fish."

She could the corners of the mouth rise up in a wide smile.

"I'll have to keep that in mind. By the way, how do you know Hagrid?"

"Oh, I meet him in Diagon Alley. I was getting my school supplies for the year. And my cousin, Nymphadora, just happened to spot him on the street. Not that it too hard to do. Hagrid does stick out a bit." she said with a small laugh. She noticed a small smile flash on the boy's face as well, but it disappeared as he stepped over a tree root. "I was a little scared of him at first, but once he and Nymphadora started to talk, I could tell he was alright. Also it's a little hard to be scared of someone when they are holding a pair of ice cream cones."

"Ice cream cones?"

"Yeah, two of them. Is something wrong?"

The boy just shook his head and kept walking.

Silence fell over them again. Agena then thought of something that she could bring up.

"Just so you'll know, Norbert made it Romania okay." She said in a matter of fact sort of tone. Harry nearly tripped.

"What! Where did you hear that name?" He asked turning to her quickly.

"Oh, my roommate got a letter from her sister earlier today. She had been with the group that had come to pick him up. I just thought I would mention it, after all her sister said that she had met you. And the only way that I think that could have happened, was if you just happened to be on the... astronomy tower? So you could give them the dragon."

She smiled when she was the look of disbelief on his face.

"Don't worry," she said. "I'm not going to turn you in. If I did that, it could get Daphne's sister in trouble. Besides you getting in trouble or expelled, doesn't help me in any way. Not to mention you annoy Malfoy to no end, he'd become completely unbearable if you were forced to leave the school. As is, he walks around like he owns the Slytherin common room."

"So, What is with you and do you hate Malfoy or something?" He asked curiously.

"If you'll believe it, the two of us also happen to be cousins, but I didn't meet him until I started going here. And after today, I doubt that we will ever be on friendly terms. Oh, well is not a big loss for me."

"And you cursed him, even though the two of you are family."

"It's not like he didn't deserve it," she replied, trying to sound justified. "Besides everyone at one point or another has got a family member they like to take wand to. And it's not like we're close family anyway."

"Well, if there is one thing that I am certain of, it's that Malfoy needs to be cursed. And on daily basis, if possible." He smiled. "But just don't... Wait, what are you looking at?"

Agena had been keeping her eyes on the path they had been following. However her eyes did catch something that made her pause and kneel down to take a closer look. Next to a sizable puddle of the unicorn's blood, there was a semi-circular depression in the ground. She reached out and traced the outline what she had seen.

"It's a hoof print and there's another one," She pointed a little ways ahead of where they were at. "This is bad."

"What do you mean?"

"Unicorns," She said, meeting his eye. "Don't leave foot prints, unless they are very old or sick or... if they are dying."

Harry's face became unreadable, he turned and looked in the direction they had been walking. Somewhere up ahead was a unicorn, and in all likelihood it was already dead or very close to it.

"Do you think we should signal the others, or should we wait?"

The Gryffindor boy didn't answer her. He seemed to be considering it, but it was difficult to tell what he was thinking.

"No, not yet." he said. And without giving her another glance he started forward again.

As they continued along the trail a sense of foreboding crept over Agena. As they walked she noticed that the hoof prints she seen earlier had become more frequent and more pronounced. Also the silvery blood was no longer in drips and small splashes. Now both her and potter was having to step around the collected pools of the liquid. Even Fang seemed to sense that something was terribly wrong, as he didn't step more than a foot away from either of them.

They had fallen into silence again, as much of a comfort it would have been to at least do someone saying something. There was the thought of whatever had injured the unicorn may still be out there waiting or even watching them as they made their trek through the forest. So Agena was very keen on wanting to listen for whatever might be out there.

The reached another point were the bloody trail veered off sharply and went up against a tree. To Agena it looked as if the animal had slammed into the tree, before it moved on again. But judging from the blood that was slathered on and between the heavy roots of the tree, the unicorn must have stayed there for some time before it had moved on.

Agena ran her hand over the cracked bark of the tree. Her eyes widened as they fell upon a small treasure. Stretched out like a spiderweb across the damaged bark of the tree was at least a dozen strands of the unicorn's mane. Agena's eyes darted over to Harry Potter who was already moving forward.

Each one of those golden-white hairs were worth at least four to five galleons. It would make for a nice piece of pocket change for any school aged child. Quickly she began to pluck the hairs away from the bark. She sucked in her bottom lip as her hands worked, she was aware of the moral ambiguity that existed in taking them. The unicorn that they had come from was most likely dead or not far from it. But this was an opportunity that was too good to pass up. It wasn't as if she was the one who injured the unicorn. Nor was she trying to harvest the hairs directly from it's corpse. No these hairs were simply left behind, and she happened to find them. And there was nothing wrong with that.

"What are you doing?" Potter called out to her in a harsh whisper.

"I coming!" She said back him in a similar tone. She stepped away from the tree and with the motion she pulled away the last strand of hair with her. She held that hand in back of her as she ran forward. Absently she used her thumb to roll the hairs together in her her palm. She even twirled them loosely around her hand, so that by the time she had reached the boy and the dog, she was able to stuff the coiled hairs into her pocket of her jeans.

"What were you doing?" he asked her again with a frown.

"Nothing really," she lied, she didn't think that he saw what she just taken, but she knew he hadn't missed that she had just put something in her pocket. "Um, from the look of it's hoof prints I don't think it may have gotten that much farther."

Potter's eyes narrowed. Rather than wait for possibility of him asking what she had put in her pocket, she walked ahead of him. She didn't want any awkward questions or... guilt. Those hairs did come from a dying unicorn. And this wasn't a time for paranoia or accusations.

Agena began to move up a gentle slope. And it looked like her last comment to the boy had some merit. The unicorn struggled to make it up the small embankment. Agena wondered why it kept going for so long. Was it looking for a stream? It's herd? Then another terrible thought came to her. What if it was trying to get away from something.

Was it fear that propelled the unicorn to come this far? With as much blood as it had lost, it shouldn't have been able to go this far. Agena stopped as topped the crest of the small hill. She could see a clearing up ahead, and in the middle of that clearing she could see something white laying in the middle of it.

Harry Potter came up behind her, and saw it too. They met each others eyes again. He nodded to her, and the both of them started to move slowly toward the clearing. But Agena was starting to feel hesitant. Something did feel right. Behind her she could hear Fang. The dog was hanging back, just inching his way forward. But also the dog was whimpering softly. _Maybe the dog is the smart one here_, Agena mused.

Pushing a low branch aside Agena entered the clearing. The unicorn was dead. There was a terrible sort of beauty in the sight like this. The white of the unicorn practically glowed against the dark ground of the forest. It was said that the unicorn was the personification of all that was good and pure of their world. But what does it say when innocence was slain, left to die slowly and painfully. For all of the wonders their world held, there was also an ugliness.

"I guess we should signal the others." she said almost breathlessly as she pointed her wand to the sky.

"No! Stop!" Potter waved a hand at her, but it was already too late as the sparking red flare shot out of her wand and screeched into the air.

Agena turned back to the clearing to see that a black shadow had risen up from behind the unicorn. It looked like a wizard wrapped in a black cloak. But at the same time she wasn't sure what it was that she was looking at, for beneath it's dark hood she could make out the reflective gleam of red eyes and a slash of a mouth, from which dripped out the unicorn's silvery blood. Now would have been an appropriate time to scream, run away, or do anything other than just stand there. But a dreadful fear fell over her and left her transfixed where she stood.

Without a doubt, this was the thing that had injured the unicorn, and had chased it until it had bled out. Something foul enough that it would actually seek to drink a unicorn's blood. What sort of person would do such a thing? But therein lied the big question, was the thing that she was looking at human or not? But the mental debate was ended as the cloaked figure began to move with At least she thought it was human. But as if it heard her thoughts it began to move by crawling over the corpse of the unicorn, but crawl wasn't right. No it was slithering over the unicorn using movements that a human shouldn't be capable of.

"r-Run!" Agena shouted, suddenly finding her voice. She had taken a few steps, when she saw that Harry Potter had stumbled backwards.

"Come on!" she shouted at him, but something was wrong. His eyes were screwed shut, and he had a hand covering his forehead. She didn't know what was happening. But they needed to get out of there. "Come on! Get up!"

The cloaked figure was slinking along the ground, moving towards them. She whipped her head around in the opposite direction, looking for Fang. But it seemed that Hagrid's dog had already run off. Then she heard a small cry of pain come the boy that was on the ground. He was trying to crawl away, but for whatever was happening to him was preventing him from standing.

She could have run for it. Running at full speed she could probably reach the safety of Hagrid in just a manner of minutes. But that would mean leaving Harry behind. And at the rate that thing was moving, she knew that help would not be able to arrive in time. It was like Halloween all over again. In a way she felt as though she had left Hermione to the troll, even though she had told a teacher where she was. She didn't want to abandon someone like that again.

"Come on!" she yelled, as she ran over to him. She took a fist full of his back collar, and tried to drag him. Even though he pushed against the ground with his legs, it was like dragging a dead weight. With the upward slope of the ground, the task became nearly impossible. She just didn't have the body strength nor the leverage necessary to do it.

She fell back as the loose earth gave way beneath her. Potter in turn, fell on top of her legs. She cursed, as she desperately rolled the struggling boy off of her. It was too late to escape now. It was almost right on top of them. And now that it was closer, she could make more details of it's face. They were twisted and stretched, and at best they might be considered quasi-human. And as horrid as it's face was, it was nothing when compared to the red reptilian eyes that were now staring at her.

"STAY BACK!" she screamed, leveling her wand at the monster before her. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She wanted it to go away. A familiar twinge surge through her. There was the swirling feeling, and another sensation circled counter to it. And then the light scent of sulfur reached her nose.

A jet of fire burst out of her wand, flying three-times further than anything that she had ever produced in that unused dungeon classroom. And it wasn't a quick flash either, the flame was self sustaining like a cyclone of fire. And the creature that had been stalking towards them coiled backwards to trying to avoid the stream of fire.

"_BACK OFF!_" Agena screamed at it. "_STAY AWAY!_"

And for some miracle the cloaked monster obeyed her command. She still held her wand out, pointing it directly at the creature. Smoke waifed up from it's cloak. She had struck it, but it gave no sign of pain. And while she couldn't see it's face any more, she could feel it staring right at her. But then she heard a high and terrible voice that seemed to reverberate though the air.

"_It speaks it._"

A cold feeling swept over her. The voice, she knew that tone. The elongated consonants and echoing syllables. What could have passed for human speech, would only be so to her ears. But at the same time she realized that she too had spoke it. It was a bad habit of hers, involuntarily switching the language she spoke in. It was something that happened when fear and anger took hold of her. And right now she was scared for her life.

And what of the boy? Surely he heard her. She had to hope that maybe he might not realize what he had heard. She could still hear him moving on the ground, still in pain from whatever it was that had fallen over him. With everything that was happening, he might ignore or forget what had come out of her mouth. But her ears caught something else. Something fast and heavy was approaching quickly. For a moments she thought of Hagrid, but no he couldn't move too fast with Hermione and Neville in tow. And this sound wasn't just two large feet, it was something that was approaching with a gallop.

The cloaked figure reeled back, retreating just as yellowish-brown blur exploded out of the brush and landed right were the dark thing had just stood. It changed after it, but only as far as the edge of the clearing. The dark thing had moved with impressive speed as it slithered away. As for the new arrival, it started to approach both her and Harry. Agena found it's appearance to be almost as astonishing as the thing it had chased off.

Agena had seen illustrations of centaurs before. But seeing one, as it slowly approached both her an Harry, she couldn't help but notice the inaccuracies those drawings had. Ironically the mistakes lay in the way the human potion was depicted. The muscle structure of it's chest and stomach was very different compared to that of a human. But it had to be considering the heavy and unusual bone structure that existed under it's flesh.

Even it's face had strange proportions compared to those of a human. The centaur's face was more broad than tall and it's mouth also seemed to jut out slightly. His hair was a yellowy-white, but he did not have a look of old age. Not that she seen any other centaurs.His white hair seemed more like a compliment the palomino coloring of it's lower body.

"Are the two of you alright?" It asked in a slow and very deep voice. Harry Potter staggered a little as he got back to his feet. The affliction had knocked him down seemed to have passed.

"Yes... I think so... What was that?" the boy breathed.

The centaur did not answer, instead he leaned in slightly. I was looking at the boy with a strange interest. She too gave potter a glance as well to see what had caught the centaurs interest. He was looking at the boy's thunderbolt scar. But curiously, Agena noticed that the mark looked puffy and had colored into an angry red, as if it were recently made. And then she remember how he held his head when that thing had approached them.

"You... Your that Potter boy," the centaur intoned. It's remarkable blue eyes shown with a great intensity. "The forest isn't safe right now,... and at this time it is even less safe for you... I must see that the two of you get back to Hagrid..."

The centaur then turned to Agena and seemed to regard her for a moment before he spoke again.

"Are both of you well enough to walk?"

Agena nodded her head, while the Gryffindor answered with a verbal 'yes'.

"If it were just the one, I could take you on my back... However I can not take two... You girl..." Agena took in a sharp breath as he addressed her. "I saw the flame from your wand. You could have run, but you chose to stay and defend you schoolmate... It was most admirable of you... What is your name?"

"Ummmm, i-I'm Agena?"

"Agena?" he parroted. He then repeated the name a few more times, as if testing the sound of it with a slight interest. "A child of the stars then, most interesting... My name is Firenze."

With introductions over the centaur began to lead them through the brush. And back over the trail that had brought them to the clearing. The Centaur probably could have moved faster, but he was holding back for their sakes. But this time also gave Agena some time to think. She cast another sidelong glance at the boy, who was trying to kept pace along with her and their protector. The skin around his scar had returned to a more normal color.

His scar was what had been left over from that night that Voldemort had killed his family. But why would his scar hurt him like that? It was a cursed mark, that much she knew. But why suddenly hurt? Did it have something to do with that creature? Agena had no doubt that thing was evil. If it was dark enough to kill a unicorn like it did, surely it was evil. But why? It just didn't make sense.

"Excuse me" Harry Potter said, breaking the silence as they retraced their steps along the trail of unicorn blood. "But do you know what that thing was?"

He was asking Firenze. The centaur didn't say anything, but he did stop. He tilled his head upwards towards a small break in the canopy above them.

"Mars is very bright tonight." Firenze spoke cryptically.

Agena glanced over at the boy and shrugged when she met his eyes. She didn't understand what the centaur was talking about either.

"Since the very dawn of my race, we centaurs have looked to the stars, seeking guidance from the eternal flow of the stars. In the wax and wane of the planets we find correlations with events of the past, as well as glimmers of things to come."

"We are standing in the eye of a storm, Harry Potter. However the time of claim is passing, that in of itself is inevitable. But..." The Centaur stared at the boy. "...soon it will be decided as to whether the winds will strike us sooner or if they come later."

"But what are you saying?" Harry asked him, confusion was seeping into his voice.

"Do you know what unicorn blood is used for?" Firenze asked him, yet again evading the boy's questions.

"No," Harry Potter shook his head. "I think we only use the horn and the hair in potion making."

"That's not true," Agena interjected, almost wishing she hadn't once the other two had turned to her. "I've heard of the blood being used in potions before, but i'm not sure what it does. Just that it's sort of looked upon as a taboo."

"And it very well should be," Firenze said. "The unicorn is an creature of powerful magic. To drink a single drop of it blood would save your life, even if you are from an inch from death. But it is a monstrous thing to kill a unicorn, and to do so just to save yourself is to be cursed. For the moment it touches your lips you would be resigned to live nothing more than a half life and to exist as just a fragment of your former self."

"But who would choose such a life?" Potter asked, voicing Agena's own thoughts.

"Only someone who has nothing to lose and everything to gain, could benefit from drinking the unicorn's blood. Do you not know of anyone who has clung to life, one who has been bidding their time, waiting for the chance to regain the power they once had? Someone who only needed enough strength until they could drink something better, something that could make them whole again."

Agena could see that something odd was going on. She could see in on Harry Potter's face. Like he had just put something together. The manner in which the centaur spoke, was evasive and vague. And currently she was missing a crucial piece of information, because she couldn't make sense of what Firenze was talking about.

"FIRENZE!" a voice thundered as it burst out of the nearby brush. It was another centaur, but this one was black. Also he looked much older and wilder than Firenze did.

"I heard you speaking to the humans! You dare to divulge our secrets to them?!" The black centaur stomped on the ground furiously.

"I've told them nothing, that they shouldn't already know." Firenze stated as he maneuvered his body between them and the new arrival.

"Do not try to deny it! I have heard what you have said to them," the black one whinnied. "Do not forget! We have all shown an oath not to set ourselves against fate!"

"Bane, I have read the same stars as you. And it is not fate that I have set myself against!" Firenze pawed at the ground with equal fury. "Follow this trail of blood, Bane, and you will find what I have set myself against."

"You meddle in things you should not!" The black centaur pawed the ground

"I meddle in nothing."

There was more rustling from the nearby brush as yet another centaur stepped forward. His hair and beard was a reddish-brown as was the rest of his lower body.

"Are we fighting now." It said in more of a statement than as a question. This new Centaur had a very deep and sorrowful voice. He then turned his deep browns eyes on to Agena and the boy that stood not that far away from them. "You must be Hagrid's lost foals. Do not fret he should not be that many steps behind me."

Agena almost felt the need to question what this new centaur had meant by calling them foals. But as the new centaur had said Hagrid came bursting out of the brush, he was holding his loaded crossbow out in front of him. Not far behind him was a rather pink faced Hermione and Neville, who was practically wheezing.

"Yeh all right? What 'appened?! Did yeh find it? Did sumtan' attack yeh?" Hagrid asked as he bent down on one knee to look at her and Harry.

"We're all right Hagrid, just a few scrapes thats all." Agena said trying to put the giant man at ease. At the same time similar assurances were being issued by Harry Potter.

"I saw one of yer flares an'..." Hagrid trailed off, suddenly noticing the way that two of the present centaurs were staring at each other.

"Evenin' Firenze... is there sumthin' going on?"

"Good evening Hagrid." Firenze replied without taking his eyes off of Bane. "You will find what you have been searching for up ahead, but I'm afraid that it your are too late to help it."

Hagrid hoisted his crossbow back up, and looked ready to change off down the trail towards the clearing were the unicorn lay, when a Firenze's voice stopped him.

"Do not be foolish, Hagrid." The centaur cautioned. "You should first lead the children back to the safety of their school. The same creature that attacked the unicorn, nearly did the same to those two."

The weight of Firenze's words seemed to land heavily on Hagrid's shoulders. He had said that what they was doing may be dangerous, but from the way he looked he probably had not considered that something might actually try and attack them.

"Go Hagrid," Firenze spoke again. "See to their safety, first. I will return and hold go and hold vigil over then unicorn until you can return."

Hagrid lead the four of them back though the forest returning them to were they had first entered. During the way back to the school, he asked both her and Harry what they had seen. But Agena really didn't have an answer for for him. The thing that she had seen was human shaped, but at the same time it didn't move like a human. It was moved more like a animal... or a serpent. That seemed more accurate to her.

And even more trouble when she heard it speak, she swore it spoke in Parselmouth. At least she thought it had. She knew she had spoken a few words of it herself when it had approached. And even more strange Harry Potter didn't seem to notice. Surely he had heard it. But he had not remarked upon it at all. And from what she had heard from Hermione about the boy, he wasn't afraid to come out and question someone about what they had said or done.

And what did that Firenze mean when he spoke with Harry Potter? Something didn't seem right to her. And regretfully, these thoughts would keep her up for what remained of the rest of the night.

-

**Author's Note:** Ten and a half thousand words, plus some change. Last chapter had a bit of a cliff hanger at the end, now you know what happened to the young Mister Malfoy. For this chapter I wanted to emphasize how much Agena belongs in Slytherin. You think I did it right? Hmmm, not much for notes this time around. I just want to thank everyone for reviewing the last chapter, I got a total of nine, _whoot_. It's more than what I've gotten from previous any of the previous chapters. One day I hope to break double digits.Also there is only two or three chapters left in Year 1. So please review.


	14. Chapter 13 Year 1

**Agena**

**JErosion**

**Chapter 13 – The Truth in the Details – Year 1**

**-**

She almost skipped as she went down the stairway. Agena was very happy to say that she was completely finished with her Charms Exam. And since there was little reason for Professor Flitwick to keep her there, he had allowed her leave the classroom to spend the rest of the day as she pleased. The only problem with this arrangement, was the awkwardness she felt in being the first one in her class to rise from their desk in order to turn the exam in.

As she stood up to deliver her test to the Professor, she heard Daphne make a small and very telling whine. In all likelihood her roommate wouldn't be joining her anytime soon. And Daphne wasn't the only one to make a sound because she had finished first. She heard one Hufflepuff boy mutter, '_No way._' And when she walked past Pansy Parkinson, the girl had the audacity to try a tripping hex on her. But Agena had no reason to worry. Since they weren't allowed to have their wands out during the written portion of the test, Pansy's attempt at whispering out a hex was feeble at best. But even then Pansy wouldn't have been able to manage any real spell work in front of Professor Flitwick. Despite his diminutive stature man was very sharp, he wouldn't miss such an errant curse, nor would he miss where it had come from.

Professor Flitwick squeaked happily as she handed her test to him. Her cheeks colored slightly as he said that he knew that she would have been the first to complete the exam. And while his eyes began to scan over her answers, Agena turned her head back towards Pansy and flashed her a victorious smile. Pansy just gave her a sour look, then again with the way her nose turned up she always had a sour look on her face.

Agena couldn't say that that the test was easy. It was just that she... knew the material and didn't have any trouble answering any of the questions. Beside most of this was just memorization. She already knew that she had earned an Outstanding on her Charms Practical. But that's merely just half of how their grades were determine. A practical exam and a written exam. Both grades were averaged to make a final grade. Agena figured it was done that way to allow those who knew the material to catch up if they had trouble preforming the actual spells, and vice versa. Meaning those that made the top grades were people who knew both the material and had the ability to preform the spells.

It seemed that after her detention in the forest everything had gone by in a huge rush. Her her end of year exams had come much faster than she had expected. Even most of the older students had become bogged down by their preparations to take their O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. But none of it was really a problem for her. Aside from a little extra reading for History of Magic she didn't really feel the need to do too much. She reviewed most of the material by tutoring Daphne and a few others in her house.

In truth, Agena would have preferred to use her time learning some new spell or perhaps continue with her experiments on that one bit of magic she had been working on. She was much more aware of the actions she took while she was in the forest. As well as just how her magic had flowed out of her wand when she had cast it on that... _thing._ In fact she was very sure that she could reproduce the spell again.

She could have gone down to that unused dungeon classroom and practiced on her own. But given the volatile nature of that spell she was reluctant to try it without the presence of Hollis or Annette in the room. The memory of what she had done to her cousin was still fresh in many peoples minds. Ultimately she just didn't want to risk expulsion by burning down part of the school.

The morning after her detention Professor Snape had called her back into his office. As soon as she sat down, he began to question her on what happened the night before. She told him as much as was willing to. She left out certain details, her procurement of those unicorn hairs for one. She didn't want to risk having to give them up. Also she felt the need to omit the part were she used that spell to fend off that creature. She just skipped ahead to the part were the centaur had appeared and sent the monster fleeing into the forest.

But truth be told the Professor wasn't interested in the small details of her walk with Harry Potter, he wanted to know about that thing that attack her and the Gryffindor boy. She did her best to tell him everything that she could remember about it. The dark cloak it wore, the jerky and slithering movements it made and the creature's red eyes. But when she mentioned the eyes, Professor Snape's face changed and his eyes became very distant for a moment. He then dismissed her before she could relate the rest of the story.

She could tell that something about her description of it had bothered him. She was bothered as well. At the very end she was almost certain now that that thing had spoken to her in Parsel Tongue. But that knowledge just left her wondering just what that thing was? It had a human shape, but at the same time it's movements were anything but human. So was it a serpent or a human? Or was it something in between? Or something that was neither? She tried browsing some of the books in the library, trying to see if she could find any reference to what it might have been. She even went as far as to borrow _The Greengrass Field Reference _from Daphne.

Of course is should be noted that book wasn't exactly something one could take with them into the field. It's size and expense made it more of a desk reference than anything else. But the information it held was far more complete that what was found in that other book by that Scamander fellow. Unfortunately even Daphne's book hadn't been much help. The closest things she could find in that book was a reference to a race of intelligent creatures know as Nagah. But there had been no sighting of them in over a thousand years. And even then the last recorded sightings were all in India and Southeast Asia.

Whatever it was, Agena couldn't say. But all she could do was think back about the way Professor Snap had reacted. Before she had left his office that day, she saw him staring at the wall rather blankly. But also... he was holding his left forearm with his right hand... It was odd, but it looked like that arm pained him in some way.

Agena's feet fell on the third floor landing. She was about to turn towards the next length of stairs down when she paused and looked over at the closed door on the wall. It was the third floor corridor, the one that was off limits. She remembered what Hermione had told her. That on the other side of that door was a giant three-headed dog. Her Gryffindor friend had later mentioned that it's name was Fluffy. She also said that it belonged to Hagrid. That wasn't too surprising, Nymphadora said that he had a great love for large and dangerous animals. For a brief time he was also the owner of a dragon, so why would it be odd that he would be owner a Cerberi.

She stepped quietly up to the door and pressed her ear up to the wood. She couldn't hear anything on the other side. So she took a few steps back and looked around the stairwell. It looked like she was the only one around. She then pulled her left foot back and then kicked the door as hard as she could manage without breaking anything. The door rattled on it hinges and she then quickly put her ear back up to the door. She could hear a deep growl from the other side, actually she could hear two of them. There was another sound beyond the door, that of a heavy chain being dragged across the floor.

She stepped back from the door and looked around again. She pulled out her wand. She looked at the door handle. She had never seen a Cerberi before, she reached out with her free hand and jiggled the handle. It was locked. Again she peered around the large stairwell, there wasn't anybody else in sight.

"_Alohomora._" she whispered. Agena then heard the lock click inside. She had about to place her hand on the handle, when she stopped. This was the sort of thing that would only invite trouble. Then again she had never seen a three-headed dog before. She eased the door open as slowly as she could, hoping the door hinges would make as little sound as possible.

She didn't have to open the door that much, before she caught sight of one of the Cerberi's back paws. She didn't risk opening the door anymore than what she already had. The dog was enormous. it's back paw was wider than her shoulders. And if she opened it anymore it might attack. She pulled the door closed, and did it much faster than the pace she had used to open it. As a result the iron hinges of the door squeaked and popped, notifying the beast that someone was there. She heard a series of deep barks echo from the other side of the door.

When it grew quiet again, she checked the door again she found that it had relocked itself. She stepped back from the door and was ready to resume her path back towards the Great Hall, when she stopped. A tiny little thought twisted corners of her mouth into a guilty smile. She turned back towards that door and raised her wand and zapped it again. She heard the tumblers click inside the door. It was unlocked, but it would not open unless somebody depressed the door handle. She then resumed her path down the stairs.

When she arrived Great Hall, she found it only sparsely populated. A few students dotted each table. A few older students that had the good fortune of having a free period, sat together in small study groups. Dinner wasn't being served yet. But the tables did have trays on them that held kettles of hot water, along with saucers and teacups. In addition the trays also held a several small tins each containing a tea bags of different flavors. She opened a few of the metal containers, testing the tea bags inside by smell. Eventually she settled on one and poured some hot water into a cup.

While the tea bag steeped, she pulled two books out of her bag. The first was the notebook that she had been using to record her progress with that spell of hers. The other book came from the school library. It was a rather complicated tome that dealt almost exclusively with Spell Theory. Unfortunately the book's rather perplexing language kept her from understanding everything that it contained. While Agena was confident that she would be make the magic flow out of her wand to repeat her spell, she felt that it might be better if she had some words she could say with it, in order to make it easier.

Agena was afraid to admit it, but the book she had found may just be too much for her to handle. Now she did find one section of the book that held a great amount of promise, it spoke of spell modification. The book even gave two examples of spells she was already familiar with.

The first was a summoning spell, which she had seen Hollis demonstrate during one of their sessions. Point you wand and then utter _Accio_, and the object you pointed at should float though the air to where you were at. But if you were to want to summon something specific or something over a greater distance, you would have to add the name of the object to are intending to summon. If she just said _Accio_ when she pointed her wand at the tea tray, it might cause any one of the objects on the tray to come floating her way. Now if she were to add a modifier to the spell and say it as _Accio Sugar_. Then just the sugar bowl should fly her way. A lot of it had to do with how focused the caster was.

Then there was the _Wassi_ spell. That cause targeted objects it was cast on to fly away form it's caster, or to shoot out from where they were held. Like the summoning spell, a modifier was needed if you wanted to target a specific object or for to cause the targeted object to move away with greater speed and force. The only requirement of the Wassi spell was that the modifier word end with a vowel sound. It was a simple concept.

The book went on to explain that this principal could be easily be applied other spells. The key seemed to lie phonics and in syntax. While pronunciation was always important, one must know the meaning behind the words. Because simply changing a consonant to a vowel can open a spell up to modifier words. Of coarse the book also warns that you could open yourself up to the possibility of having a what was normally a safe spell to literally blow up in your face. And the more words that were present in s spell the more likely that making changes would cause instability in the spell.

Agena took hold of her tea cup, the hot water inside had turned into a deep gray-brown. She smiled as it's rich aroma touched her nose and then took a sip. Without the benefit of sugar or honey the tea was bitter and uncompromising. And more refreshing, or so she thought. She always drank the first couple of sips without sweeting it. It was just something that she did.

As she drank she wrote down various points of interest in her notebook. She was merely making notes on information that might prove useful later. She wouldn't be trying any of the things she had read anytime soon, maybe when she had more time and had finished her work with Hollis she might give it a try, but until then they would just remain as footnotes.

Eventually she had to put her work away, as the population of the Great Hall grew too much for privacy's sake. It wasn't until about twenty minutes after the last class bell rang that Daphne came shuffling in with the help of Tracy Davis. Daphne's legs wobbled as she picked them up to cross over the bench. And when she finally sat down, she fell forward. Her head landed on the table with such a tremendous thud, that Agena's tea cup rattled against it's saucer.

"Daphne! Are you alright?" she asked, with great concern over her roommate. When the girl didn't answer she looked toward Tracy for some explanation.

"I don't think she did well." The blond girl said. Her statement cause Daphne to make a small whine.

"Oh, dear." She patted Daphne's back. "Come on, we did all that studying together I'm sure you did alright."

She made another whine and wiggled her shoulders. Apparently Daphne wasn't so confident. It wasn't too much longer she had to pull Daphne up right. The tea trays vanished from sight and they were replaced by the heavy trays that held plates and silverware for dinner. That meant that their dinner would follow shortly. Daphne may have had a rough time, but her day would become worse if a plater filled with a roast were to appear right where her face was.

When their supper was served, Daphne just picked at her her food. And every time she addressed the girl Agena had to call her name several times in order to get any reaction from her. Normally Daphne was the source of most of their meal conversations, and in her current state that left both her and Tracy, with few things to talk about. But Agena wouldn't have done much talking anyway, she was keeping her eyes on some of her house mates.

Honestly she was a little paranoid when it came to certain groups students. Those that hung around the Quidditch team. There was Pansy's circle of friends. A group of fourth and third years that were led by a boy named Hobbs. And most of all, there was Draco's little click. She knew that some measure of a retaliation was going to come from him at some point. He came from the sort of people who didn't let things go.

And speaking of which, she saw him and those two cretins he hung out with approaching. She didn't think they were coming for her. They had just finished eating and were heading back to do whatever it is that they did. It was just that they would have to pass her in order to leave out of the exit the Hall. She smiled. A guilty sort of smile.

"Daphne" she patted the girl's shoulder.

"mmm." Daphne grunted. She didn't really take her eyes off of the food she was pushing around. So Agena could only accept the girls vague utterance as a _yes_.

"I'm gonna need you to watch our stuff. Me and Tracy are about to do something."

Daphne just grunted again.

"What?!" Tracy whispered in shock, she had heard her name being used in conjunction with '_doing something_.'

"I'm serious, I tell you!" Agena said suddenly over Daphne's slouched form. Tracy's eyes grew wide with confusion. "Then entire room was filled with gold!"

"w-w-What are you..."

"shhh!' Agena interrupted her, before she turned away and narrowed his eyes. "You need something... _cousin_?"

The blond haired boy looked taken back, but she would have to guess that he had heard what she had said. Before Draco could react she stood up and moved away from the table.

"Come on Tracy." she took a hold of the bewildered blond's hand and pulled her up, and then processed to drag her out of one of the Great Hall's side entrances.

"w-What's happening?" Tracy cried. Agena quickly pushed her towards an archway that led to some stairs that could take them all the down to the dungeons. She looked back towards that entryway that they had come out of. A moment later she saw a thin shadow move into the beam of yellowy light that came from the Hall, then two larger shadows joined it. Excellent.

She waited a second later and then moved herself and the still very confused girl that was with her into the stairwell. She had to make sure that he had seen them.

"I'm really sorry, Tracy." she apologized, in a hushed tone.

"w-What... what is this all about?" she asked confused as to what was happening. Her hair had moved out of her face for a moment. Agena could see that her brow was furrowed in worry.

"I'm just pulling a little prank on someone, but I'm gonna need your help to pull it off."

"mm... a prank?"

"Yeah, I just need to play along. So, can you ?"

"i-I..." she hesitated. Her head drooped, covering most of her face with her hair. Her balled up hand came up to the side of her face in a nervous gesture. But she then nodded.

Agena smiled and then turned her head towards the doorway they had just passed though. They were out there, she could feel them. Moving closer, inching forward with quiet footsteps.

"You remember what Professor Dumbledore said at the beginning of the year." Agena started with a clear voice. "That the third floor corridor on the right hand side of the school was off limits."

Tracy was still for a moment before she nodded. But that wasn't what Agena had meant by playing along, so she made a circular gesture with her hands and mouthed for the girl to say something.

"Ah, yeah." she squeaked. "It's off limits for everyone who... Who did not want to die a horrible death."

Agena smiled. That was what she was looking for.

"Right. Well when I got out of Flitwick's class I was starting my way down to the Great Hall when I overheard Filch talking with Professor Dumbledore. They were talked about how a bunch of Goblins from Gringotts were coming in tonight to count what was on the third flood. And then I remember what the Headmaster said about that corridor. So I went over to the main stairwell and I went up to that door. It turns out that it was unlocked, so I opened it up and took a look inside."

She paused on purpose. To peak some interests of those that were listening.

"What was in there?" Tracy asked on queue.

"Gold as far as the eye could see. And they weren't even stacked neat or anything, they piled up on the ground in these huge mounds. There was so much there you could fill up your pockets and nobody would notice. I even nicked a hand full."

"uh,... r-Really?"

"Yeah, I thought about getting more, but once dinner was over, but the hall would be full up with other students. And by the time it thinned out, it would probably be past curfew, not to mention those goblins would probably be here."

"Are you... going to go back?"

"I don't know," Agena said. "I already got me some... And if I go back I might get caught. Did you want to go?"

Agena shook her, trying to signal to the blond girl the answer she wanted her to give.

"umm,... No... I really don't... I don't want to take something like that..." Tracy said, preforming beautifully.

"Well, no worries then. Just sit with me and Daphne on the ride home. When the snack trolley comes along everything will be on me," Agena said try to sound jovial. She turned to look at that door way. Draco wasn't there. He had moved away. She waited a moment. She moved over toward the archway and peered out into the hall. She caught sight of the three boys, they were walking away slowly from where she and Tracy were at.

Both Crabbe and Goyle were huddled close to Draco. Their heads lowered slightly as he was no doubly telling them what he had just overheard. The trio was heading towards the main stairwell. She couldn't have planned it better. She ducked back into the stairway and waited a little, she would have to follow them. Otherwise she wouldn't know if they really fell for it or not.

"Um, Agena. Was that it?"

She turned and smiled at her. Then in an act that caused the thin girl to squeak, Agena wrapped her arms around her in a firm hug.

"You did great."

Tracy blushed at the praise. Agena then quickly led the girl out of that stairway and back towards that side entrance of the Great Hall.

"Listen, I'm gonna follow them. Its probably better if you go back and check on Daphne."

"w-Wait!" The Davis girl protested. "What's in that corridor?"

"Agena?"

Both Tracy and Agena turned to find Daphne shuffling up to the entry way. She had a big frown on her face.

"Did I hear you say something about a room full of gold?" she asked uncertainly. If she wasn't so pressed for time she might have laughed at the girl's delayed reaction. But Agena didn't have time to explain what was happening.

But Agena didn't have time to explain. She had to follow them before they got too far ahead. Agena just apologized and said she would tell them both later before she ran off. By the time she reached the stairwell they had already reached the the upper lengths of the second floor and were about to reach the third. Agena quickly ascended the stairs, clinging to the walls so that she was less likely to be noticed.

One might ask, why she was doing what she was. But there was no nice or simple answer for it. She like to think that she was preforming an act of justice. She had been given detention for defending herself and her work. Not only did she receive detention but she also took Draco's place in the detention that he was suppose to have served that night. However in the weeks since she had served her detention, Draco had yet to make up for his original infraction. His detention was suppose to rescheduled. Yet he was the one walking around and going unpunished. And as far as Agena was concerned, that was just not right.

She tried to be cautious in her pursuit, by ducking into shrunken doorways and archways that existed from point to point along the stairways. She it seemed that she didn't have to try too hard to keep from being seen. The largest of the group, Goyle, was trailing behind the other two, and he didn't even look back once to see if there might be someone coming up behind them. But she moved out of the cover once they had made it up to that third floor platform. She positioned herself so that she could see them.

And then it occurred to her, that on some level, that maybe, just maybe, this wasn't such a good idea. On the other side of that door was a giant three-headed dog. She wanted to give Draco a good scare, and if those two idiots that followed him around got caught up in it too,even better. A best one of them might even need to a change of underwear when it was all done. But then again, that was a giant three-headed dog in there. And there was a good chance that they could get hurt, or killed. And if to prove that idea, the air above her was filled screaming. And that screaming was followed by the booming barks of three-headed beast. All three of the boys went crashing to the guardrail on that upper platform.

A feeling of relief fell over her, as well as a sense of victory. They didn't get hurt, just got scared shitless. And that was exactly what she wanted. And then a white beam of light shot from an upper level and flew towards that door, when it hit the entire wall shook as the door slammed shut.

"_WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING!_" A voice bellowed from even higher above. She thought for a moment that it was Professor McGonagall, as she was the only teacher that she knew of at this school who was capable of applying such fury in their voice. But no, this voice was male. The teacher flew down the stairs at such a fevered pace, that if it weren't for the white gloved hand that steadied him on the railings, he would have gone tumbling end over end.

But there was Professor Quirrell standing taller and looking more fearsome than she had ever seen during the course of the year. And the three boys, already frightened by their exposer to the dog, cowered even more before him. Was that really Professor Quirrell? Somehow he had transformed into the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher that they should have had. But why now?

"All three of you know that corridor is off limits! You were all told at the beginning of the year! You could have gotten killed! Now get up!" the Professor yelled, as he pulled Goyle up to his feet. The boy still in shock from his ordeal with the dog began to flail about. And in doing so, he grabbed a hold of the Defense teacher's forearm.

Quirrell yelled again, and tossed the boy towards Draco and Crabbe nearly knocking the two back on the floor.

"I don't want to see the three of you anywhere near this door again! You hear?!" he growled loudly. "If you even think about it, I'll hand the lot of you over to Filch!"

With that the boys began to half stumble and run down the stairs. But Agena's eyes stay fixed on the teach she wasn't sure she had ever seen before. And then he turned and saw her. At once his face faltered, changing to that of fright.

"c-Culverin? Ah,... What are you doing here?" the anger that was in his voice had also seeped away.

"I heard screaming" Agena answered quickly and evenly. She also had wand in her hand, although she couldn't rightly recall exactly when she had drawn it.

"t-There's nothing t-t-to worry about. Y-You s-should just go back t-to you dorm."

"Yes, sir." she said, and then looked to her left where a paler than usual Draco was walking up. He looked confused and angered. Not too surprising considering what had just happened. And it was just occurring to him now that he had been duped into going into that chamber. She glanced back up at that platform and saw that Professor Quirrell had disappeared.

"What you... full of gold. You lied!" she heard the accusing voice of her cousin.

"And you should know better than to eavesdrop." She said without turning to him. She still stared up at that platform.

"You... your going to pay for that!" Draco seethed.

"Something is happening." Agena said, ignoring the threat.

"What?" he asked after a pause.

"Or something is about to happen." She speculated outloud. She then walked away, ignoring the confused and angry questions that came from her cousin, about what she had meant. But Agena could tell that something was about to happen, she could feel in the air. Something involving that door lend to that third floor corridor.

When Agena had returned to the Great Hall, she found herself facing a rather thorough interrogation by Daphne. The Greengrass girl was back to her usual energetic self. The dreary mood that had taken hold of her earlier that evening, had largely passed with the intervention of a little food and time away from a writing desk.

She held nothing back as she recounted the details of her evil deed. She started by revealing what lay on the other side of that door on the third floor. Tracy seemed especially aghast, considering the role she had unknowingly taken in Agena's prank. She was still had a thing about not offending any of the pure-blooded members of their house. Daphne's reaction was completely different.

"_A doggy!_" She exclaimed brightly, using a voice that was an octave higher than usual.

Agena stared blankly at her roommate, wondering if the girl had even heard the _giant _or the _three-headed _part that made up the animal's description. But Daphne did ask her how she knew about the... _doggy_. Agena told both girls that she had learn about it though Hermione Granger.

How the Gryffindor girl along with a few of her house mates had accidentally run into that chamber in an effort to escape that horrible old Mr. Filch. Despite having known this for several months, Agena had never really thought about taking a look inside that corridor. In truth she had nearly forgotten about the dog altogether, at least until she had walked past that door earlier when she had finished her test in Flitwick's class.

Agena then told them that after she had seen the dog herself she had come up with the idea of pulling the prank of her cousin. She did leave out her last minute concerns that the boy and his friends could have gotten killed. But on a certain level she knew that wouldn't happen. From what she had been told and from what she had seen, the young Malfoy was just like his father. And that alone meant he would escape just in time to avoid what would most certainly be a most gruesome fate.

And to her expectations Draco escaped with nothing more than disappointment and a bruised ego. But truth be told Agena was more distracted by the thing that happened with Professor Quirrell. Agena wouldn't have believed it, had she not seen it with her own two eyes. Something wasn't right. But something about him had never seem right to her. He gave her a queasy sort of feeling that she couldn't really put her finger on. But if she had to describe it, she would have to say that it felt... it felt... foul.

And the way he yelled at Draco, it didn't make sense. How many times had something potentially dangerous occurred right before him and he do nothing about it other than look for another authority figure? How many times did he just cower before his own students? So why the sudden change? Why so angry? It couldn't have been just because of that dog. It had to be something else.

But there lay an important question. Why would such a creature even be put inside of a school like that? Unless... Unless it was to guard something. What other use was there for a three-headed dog? Even in legend, Cerberi were reputed to have been used to guard the gates of the underworld. So what could be so important that one would dare to utilize such a beast?

Like she had told her cousin, something was about to happen. She couldn't explain why she felt that way. It was just that she did. And she felt that it had something to do with Professor Quirrell and what ever the Cerberi was guarding. But what?

And as much as she thought about it, she was missing something. Some vital clue that would put everything together. But the more she thought about it, the further the solution seemed to get. She had plenty of uninterrupted time to think about it. The Slytherin dormitories were particularly quiet, as the pressures that exams brought had induced a certain amount of lethargy in her house mates, causing them to retired to their rooms right after dinner.

Those in their third year and above had as many as four additional classes, compared to what first and second year's had. While Agena was pretty sure that she could manage any additional workload. There were those in her year who couldn't handle what classes they had now. She considered Daphne for a moment and hoped that she didn't do too poorly on any of her tests.

But most of her evening became devoted to the mystery surrounding Professor Quirrell. But despite her best efforts nothing really came to her. She eventually just resigned herself to just go to sleep and not worry about it. There were many other things to worry herself with. But her attempts at getting some rest did not last long. As no sooner had her head hit her pillow, she bolted back upright.

One tiny little detail had just snapped into place. She yanked aside her bed curtain and reached for her want. An instant later she was hopping towards the door, with her bathrobe on one arm and both of her slippers in one hand. She chided herself for not have seen it earlier. It was so obvious now, she had stared right at it.

She had to see Professor Snape, but at this hour she wouldn't be able to do it on her own. And there was only one person who could help her. She ran as fast as she could, she didn't even pause to put her slippers on. She was in such a hurry that her mind didn't even register the cold and dampness of the floor below her. In fact she was going so fast that she nearly passed up the door she was was trying to reach.

She skidded to a halt, or at least skidded as much as one could against such a floor. She cried out as she stumped her toes against an uneven section of the flagstone floor. She staggered back, hopping on her other foot until her shoulder went into the oaken door she had stopped in front of. Trying to regain her balance she grasped blindly at the door handle, but in doing so she hit the door knob with enough force that caused the door to swing open, leaving her to fall to the floor. It whole thing might have been comical if her foot didn't hurt so much.

"Agena?"

She swung her head around, hearing the voice of the person she had come to find. Annette was at her desk, her legs were folded up so that her heels touched the chair cushion. A small book lay open on the desk. Agena noticed that her nightwear was surprisingly muggle, for someone who came from one of the old families. But she shook the thought out of her head, she had more pressing issues.

"Annette! I need your help, I have... you wear glasses?" Agena trailed off, momentarily forgetting what she had come to do. Annette immediately pulled the thin oval frames off of her face.

"They're for reading," she said uncomfortably, her face colored as she made the claim. And then sound very much like Professor McGonagall "Now you care to explain what you are doing on my floor at this hour?"

"I... I need you to take me to Professor Snape!" She exclaimed. She tried to stand back up, but she hissed as she put her weight on her left foot. Apparently she did a little more than just stump her toes.

"What did you do?"

"I think... I think I might have broken something." She whined slightly, her eyes watered as pinpricks of pain shot up her leg. Annette sighed and eased herself off of her chair. , a strode over to Agena. She bent down and took a hold of her foot and looked over the appendage with some scrutiny. Her little toe and the one next to it were puffy and red.

"Can you wiggle any of them?"

Agena gave it a shot. But she cried out as those two digits failed to comply with her mental commands.

Yep, broken. I guess that earns you a trip to see Madame Pomfey."

"Wait! I can't go to the Hospital Wing yet! I have to see Professor Snape!"

"Whatever for?"

"It's important! It's something that he has to know."

"Can it wait until morning?" Annette asked, suddenly sounding a little annoyed.

But Agena shook her head.

"No, it can't wait."

"More important that broken toes?"

"More important!" Agena said nodding her head.

Annette frowned.

"What is it?"

Agena took a deep breath. What could she tell her?

"I... I really can't explain all of it. I just have to tell the Professor, he'll know what to do."

"Alright." Annette said after a bit of a pause. The older girl then stood up to her full height. "I'll take you, but your gonna have to get there under your own power."

At first Agena wasn't sure what Annette meant by that. But as it turned out that there was no ambiguity behind her words. Annette didn't even so much as raised her wand to help Agena as they moved through the Slytherin common room and then into the dungeons.

Agena grimaced as she followed the older girl, but she held in every gasp and every tiny sound of discomfort. As she followed Annette kept glancing back at her as if she was testing her. And Agena wasn't about was determine not to break. As they progressed further into the dungeons, Agena noticed a small smile that seemed to grow on Annette's face. Like there was a tiny bit of pride that grew with every step they took. Or... it might have been because that deep down inside... Annette was secretly a sadist.

The only real consolation Agena had was the cold dampness of the stone floors had numbed her foot a great deal, but even then it didn't numb everything. So tried very carefully to just to use the heel of that foot. The cold seemed to her foot to a ghastly shade of white... Well, everything except her those two toes had. They seemed content to change from the irritated pink they were earlier to an ugly shade of purple. Agena cast a begrudging look at Annette's back.

"So, Professor Snape has an apartment down here?" she asked quietly. She was aware that they were getting closer to were their classroom was located.

"What was that? You changed your mind, and want to go to the Hospital Wing instead?" Annette asked looking back back over her shoulder.

"No!" Agena snapped. "I just didn't know... that the Professor had a room down here too."

"He doesn't," Annette replied. "Most of the lodgings they have for teachers have are scattered about on the upper floors.

"Then where are we going?"

"Snape doesn't have an apartment down here, but he does have a private lab."

"But... How do you know if he'll be there or not? He could be asleep or something."

"That's possible. But knowing the Professor, he'll still be working. He's like one of those people who can get by with just three or four hours of sleep a day."

As they approached their Potions classroom, Annette suddenly led her down a dimly lit corridor that spurred off of the main hallway. It wasn't long before the older girl came to a stop in front of a dark wooded door that had an ornate knocker set in it's middle. Agena then watched as her guide reached for the heavy iron ring and gave the door three loud raps.

Agena waited for a moment, before she frowned at the blond. She had quickly come to the conclusion that the Professor wasn't in, and they would have to seek out wherever his lodgings were. But just as she was about to voice that opinion, Annette raised her hand in shushing motion. The older girl had an ear turned towards the door and she was leaning sideways towards it. And after a brief pause she smiled and then stepped back from the door.

Then there was the loud click of metal sliding against metal. The door creaked open allowing the warm glow of firelight spill into the hall. As her eyes adjusted to the light, Agena was then treated to the sight of Professor Snape, with his long hair pulled back into a ponytail. And if that wasn't enough the Professor was also wearing a long leather apron and gloves that went up past his elbows. Both of the protective articles appeared to be made out of dragon hide.

At first Professor Snape stared at Annette and then slowly brought his heavy gaze to Agena. She suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Then her teacher's eyes dropped down to the floor and to her uncovered foot. Snape then gave the glove on his right hand a hard tug. Once he had managed to free that hand he then slipped it underneath his apron and then pulled out a silver pocket watch.

"Seeing as it is already a good two hours after curfew," The Professor said as gazed into his watch. "I suspect you must have a very good reason for knocking on my door."

"Well..." Annette started. "You see, our dear Agena here has broken a few of her toes. I was taking her up to the hospital wing. But she seemed rather instant that she must speak to you about some matter."

Then the spot light was suddenly thrown onto Agena. She tried to speak but with both people staring at her she found that she had some difficultly speaking. Her teacher's face grew expectant and then angry as her hesitance grew into seconds.

"Well?" he demanded in a raised voice. Annette even chirped in comment under her breath._ Sometime before morning would be nice._

"I-its... its about my detention from the other day." she began. "The thing that had tried to attack me and that Potter boy... before the centaur came changing out of the woods...I hit it with a spell... that monster...

"What do you mean you were attacked!? I didn't hear anything ..." Annette began to question, but Professor Snape raised his hand silencing her.

"That thing... I hit it with the same sp... the same magic that I had used on Flint during Halloween... And then earlier, after I had finished dinner I saw Professor Quirrell up in the main stairwell, he was hanging around that door to that off limit corridor... And he was acting kind of strange... But the thing is... I saw his arms... they were all bandaged up, and I started to..."

"...his burns." The Professor interrupted in a distant voice. His face changed again, and Agena saw, if just for a moment, a look of fear. Immediately the Professor darted away from the door. With his sudden absence the door began to drift open. Agena's eyes darted around the strangely octagonal room. Cauldrons, scales, and other alchemic devices adorned the shelves that lined the walls. In the center of the room was a heavy stone table that was very much like the ones she worked around in her potions class. And sitting on that table was a cauldron, who's contents were emitting a rings of blue-gray smoke.

The was a sudden woosh and a flash from the left side of the laboratory. Professor Snape stood hutched over in front of a fireplace that was on the left side of the chamber. She watched as he then leaned into the cackling green fire.

"Headmaster? Professor?! Professor Dumbledore?!" His voiced echoed from within the fire. A moment later he wretched his head out of flames muttering "...of all the times to be away."

He quickly strode across the room, untying his apron and yanking off his remaining glove as he went. He stopped in front of a small desk and began to rifle though the contents of it's single drawer. From her angle it was difficult to see what he was doing, but she could see that he was handling some sort brown box or possibly some sort of envelope. And with delicate movements he pulled some out of the dark container. Whatever it was, it was slender and shown with brilliant orange glow.

He held out in front of him, holding it between two of his fingers. Agena then saw the man pull out his wand. She heard the whispers of some sort of incantation and then he touched the tip of this wand to it. With a flash of fire the thing he held vanished.

"Ms. Yaxley." the Professor called as he began to stepped quickly in their direction. He reached to the back of his head and pulled the hair tie free of his head. "Escort Ms. Culverin to the hospital wing and then return to your dormitory immediately."

With that he swept past them, his wand drawn. His look was determine and almost deadly. She really didn't know what sort of man he was. And on some level she didn't want to know. For the first time she considered that man wasn't always a teacher. That maybe at some time in his past he had been something much darker. Like a predator.

"Well... come on." Annette told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. There was a degree of uncertainty in her voice. Agena began to hobble along side her, when the Prefect spoke again. "So? What this monster business all about?"

Agena stopped and gave the girl a frown before she started to walk again.

"I don't know if I want to tell you. You've been rather mean to me, since I fell into your room."

"Oh? And you wouldn't have been mean to someone who burst into your room in the middle of the night?" the older girl argued as she walked next to her.

"It wasn't like you were asleep or anything. Besides it was an emergency! And... I have broken toes!"

"I would have gladly have levitated you all the way up to the hospital wing."

"Yeah, but you made me walk all the way to the Professor's lab!"

"That because you wouldn't tell me why you had to talk to the Professor."

"And if I told you that I though Professor Quirrell was a monster that had attacked me during the detention I served, would you have believed me?"

"Ok... Probably not." Annette admitted with a shrug of her shoulders.

"And if it has escaped your attention, I'm still having to walk."

"Oh, sorry about that... It's just that the spell is a little complicated and I need a moment to prepare for it. And... nothing helps me prepare like hearing the details of what happened during someone's detention."

Agena scowled at her.

"Your full of shit."

Annette just nodded.

"Yes I am. In fact thats one of the ways you get to become a Slytherin Prefect.

Agena shook her head and started to hobbled away. Annette followed closely behind her asking her for information of what had happened. They wound up arguing all the way up to the hospital wing. Annette gave up once they made it to the hospital wing, she didn't seemed to want to keep the argument going in front of the resident healer, Madame Pomfrey.

Madame Pomfrey however took one look at her foot and immediately began to give her a tongue lashing for not having come to see her sooner. The Healer seemed to be able to tell that she made a detour on the way up. But after a few minutes that all change as Professor Snape came bursting into the room. Behind were as two others. The first was that Weasley boy, he looked to be unconscious and was floating lazily behind the Professor. And right behind him, and looking completely frantic was Hermione Granger.

-

**Author's Note:** Well it's the first chapter of the new year. At this point there is probably only one or two chapters left in the year and then it will be on to Agena's second year at Hogwarts. Also I'm splitting my time between this and other projects that I'm working on. So there. Please Review!


	15. Chapter 14 Year 1

**Agena**

**JErosion**

**Chapter 14 – The things you already know and the things you don't – Year 1**

**-**

"Alright. Lets make this quick. Show me what you got."

Agena took a deep breath, her feet were at a shoulder's width apart. Her thumb absentmindedly rolled over the fine carvings of her wand. She had to beg him for this opportunity and she was determine not to disappoint. She took aim and released. She could feel her magic flow. It wasn't perfect, but it was more than enough to prove that with a little more time and effort, mastery was inevitable.

She could hear Hollis swear behind her as the room was illuminated by a sudden and intense burst of yellow and orange. A wave of heat touched her face and the scent of sulfur filled her nostrils. A twirling stream of flame spilled forth from the tip of her wand. But it wasn't like a regular flame. She could see that quite clearly as it stuck the makeshift dummy that sat about three yards away from her.

The flames clawed, sparked and hissed as it engulfed the carefully stacked stools. And for all the excitement she felt in seeing the spell work, she also felt a measure of fight witnessing the nature of the fire. Thus she relented and pulled back. The spell stopped at once and the flames vanished immediately. Once her eyes had adjusted to the sudden change in light, Agena saw a long smear of soot that stretched from her to the center of the room. As for the dummy, it was completely charred and it stood for only a moment before it collapsed upon itself.

Hollis rushed passed her after that. He made a few quick swishes of his wand and then a small geyser of water erupted from it's tip. At first the water flashed into steam. That surprised Agena enough that she sort of looked down at her wand in wonder. She knew this sort of magic could be destructive but...

Part of her mind reasoned that a first year shouldn't be able to pull off something like this. If this spell could already do this much damage now... What would it be like once she got older? What would it be like once she had perfected the feel of the magic as it flowed? Would the flames be able to stretch across the entire length of the room? She slowly walked forward until she came up to the side of Hollis. Her eyes became fixed on the crumbled chair and stool, as well as a silvery-gray mass that was slathered all over the stone floor.

"That's the cauldron, isn't it?"

"Whats left of it."

She melted the cauldron. It was just a standard pewter cauldron, just like the one she used in class. Albeit it was an old one. And if she recalled correctly lead didn't have all that high of a melting point compared with some other metals. But then again cauldrons they used for class had enchantments on them to keep them from melting from just a standard flame. And the spell she use... well there was nothing standard about it.

"Can you do me a favor?" Hollis asked her without taking his eyes off of the destroyed target.

"um... What?"

"Don't use that magic on a human being... Not unless you absolutely no choice in the matter. "

"Ah... right." she agreed nervously.

After that Hollis raised his knobby wand and made a few swishes over the debris. The charred mess evaporated before her eyes. But she really wasn't thinking about how he vanished the rubble or how he did so without saying an incantation. Her thoughts was on the favor that he had just asked her and the fact that she had already used it on human being. Not that she could tell what it was at the time.

When she had used that magic in the forest, the creature, had been just at the edge of the flame. Had it been any closer, she might have killed it. Or she might have killed _him_. She wasn't entirely certain what the connection was between her former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and that thing in the forest. But the notion that they had been one in the same had been partially confirmed by Professor Snape when he briefly mumbled that the Quirrell had burns on his arms.

There were several stories being trading throughout the school right now. All of them concerned the recent disappearance of Quirinus Quirrell. All of his remaining exams had been canceled. No one was quiet sure what had happen, but most of the rumors had stated that their strangely timid and highly nervous Defense teacher had tried to steal something that the Headmaster had been safeguarding. Again rumors varied on what exactly Quirrell had tried to steal. Speculations ranged to everything from some powerful weapon to an invaluable artifact left behind by one of the school's founders. There was also another speculative rumor that Quirrell had tried to steal an entire room full of gold... That was a rather silly idea in Agena's opinion.

Agena now knew, largely through her friendship with Hermione Granger, that the object that their former Defense teacher tried to make off with was the Philosopher's Stone. And consider how powerful the stone was said to be, it wasn't a great mystery as to why someone would want to steal it.

And as the current rumors went, Quirrell came very close in to succeeding in his goal. The only thing stopping him was none other than Harry Potter. There was little mention of Hermione's or that Weasley boy's role in thwarting the theft. Agena knew that both had been with him that night. Madame Pomfey was mending her broken toes when the head of her house brought the two Gryffindors into the Hospital Wing.

Hermione, aside from a few scrapes and being a little panic stricken, was perfectly fine. The red-head however was unconscious. According to Hermione beyond that forbidden door on the third floor, was a series of traps designed to keep people out. The giant three-headed dog that was chained just on the other side of that door was just the first safeguard. The Weasley boy had gotten knocked out, as they had play their way across a giant chess board. Hermione didn't make it all the way to the end either. Both her and Harry Potter had enter a room that became impassable unless you were to drink the right potion amongst the many that were in the room. The only way they were able to figure out which one to drink was because of a logic riddle that came with the potions. Hermione's muggle intellect came through and she figured the whole thing out. Hermione didn't know exactly what had happened after that. Harry Potter had drunk a potion that allowed him to move forward towards the next trial, she drank a potion that allowed return back the way they came. By the time she had worked her way back to were Weasley had fallen, Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore had arrived.

As part of the rumors, it was believed that Harry Potter fought against Quirrell, however to what extent was another mystery. The only thing that was certain was that Harry Potter was still in the Hospital Wing. As for their former teacher, most seemed to agree that he was no longer amongst the living. Many of the early risers the following morning witnessed several people from the Ministry's Department of Magical Law Enforcement removing what looked to be a body from the castle.

"Well come on." Hollis said, breaking her from her thoughts. He was making his way towards the doorway.

Agena followed not really saying anything. When they reached the entry way to their dorms, Hollis uttered out the password. As the wall opened a flood of noise and light poured into the hallway. The party was just starting up. Hollis stepped inside, but Agena hesitated. Her eyes drifted a bit upwards, towards a point that lay a few floors above her.

A curious feeling swelled inside her. She wanted to know. She wanted to know what had happened that night. If her late night epiphany, surrounding the bandages she saw on Quirrell's arms had made a difference. If she hadn't gone to Professor Snape when she did, would Quirrell have succeeded?

"Hey. You coming?" Hollis called out to her, breaking her from her thoughts once more.

"Not yet." she said with a shake of her head. "I have something I need to do before it gets too late."

Hollis frowned, but then nodded to her.

"Alright, but don't be out there too long. I think they are going to do the Run tonight."

"uh, Ok." She said with a nod. She didn't know what this Run thing was, but right now she didn't feel up to asking him about it. Also the prospect of having to speak above the noise that was spilling out of the Slytherin Common Room wasn't something she was very keen to have to do.

It was a party after all. And they did have reason to celebrate. They won it. The House Cup was Slytherins' for the seventh year in a row. Even with Ravenclaw winning the Quidditch cup, as well as the twenty-five points that came along with it, there was no way they could overcome Slytherin's lead in the total number of house points.

Agena quickly made her way to the food stairwell and from there she made her slow ascent up to the main floor of the school. Honestly, she didn't know why she was even going. But there was a good chance that she would see Hermione there. Both her and that red-headed boy had been making regular trips to visit their friend. And with the defeat of Gryffindor in the last match, chances were that they might being paying him a visit. Which would be better than hanging around a common room full of disappointed and gloomy house mates. At least that's what she reasoned.

Of course she would also have to put up with that Weasley boy accusing her of stopping by just to gloat. Not that she cared at all for what he thought. Of course there would also be the issue of what she would say to Hermione. Because after you get past the basic pleasantries of 'Hello' and 'How are you,' she didn't have all that much to say.

It was information that she was after. She needed to know the truth and because of that she needed to be here. Her pacing slowed down as she approached the open double doors of the Hospital Wing. She could hear soft voices coming from deep inside the room. She eased up carefully towards the doorway, an ear turned towards it so she could better hear.

"...the first thing you asked is one I cannot tell you... ...today. Not now. You will know, one day... put it from your mind for now... ...older... ...when you are ready, you will know."

She could only hear bits and pieces of what was being said. But she recognized the voice of an old man that she was quiet familiar with, Professor Dumbledore. How could she not, considering how often he visited her Aunt's house during the summer.

"...why couldn't Quirrell..."

Came a much softer voice. A boy. _Harry Potter_, she thought after a moment. But what was it that he asked about Quirrell? She stepped a fraction closer to the edge of the door.

"...mother died to save you... one thing Voldemort could not understand..."

Her breath caught as she hear the name spoken. It was strange, but for the first time she could ever recall... she shuttered at that name. It was strange especially for her... unlike do many others... She had never possessed and fear of the name... she never picked up that habit from the adults around her... so why now? Why so suddenly?

But after just a moment of thought she knew the answer... It was because of the Headmaster... It was because of what he was saying to Harry Potter. And it was because the Potter boy had mentioned Quirrell's name just moments before. The boy had asked the Professor a question that involved Quirrell and the answer involved Voldemort.

And what of her suspicious? What of the questions in her head. That nagging question that surrounded the identity of her father. Suddenly the images from the Mirror of Erised resurfaced in her head. That image of a frantic and paranoid Quirrell waving his wand around in a deserted hallway. That was ridiculous. That thing in the woods... It had to have been Quirrell... It couldn't have been him. Her father was...

She shook her head. Voldemort was gone. It was just Quirrell in the woods... It had to be. He was gone, everybody knew that. All that was left was nothing more than a shadow. A shadow made up of his former agents that were still loyal to his cause and to his words. Death Eaters, just the ones that had escaped prison and those that had slipped back into wizarding society. _That must have been it_, she reasoned. Quirrell must have been a Death Eater... One of the ones that had escaped.

She knew it was a bad hypotheses. There was so many wholes it it she almost felt ashamed for even thinking it. Quirrell was too young to have been a Death Eater. Not to mention that she had heard that he had been the Muggle Studies teacher prior to taking up the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. But a bad theory looked good compared to...

The alternative was a frightening idea. He couldn't still be alive. Could he? Such a possibility had never really occurred to her. And why would it have? One of the darkest wizards of all time was dead and gone. That's what she had heard her whole life, why should she think any different? But then no one had ever survived the killing curse before either.

Who is to say what really had happened that night? And even with the looming suspension of who her father may have been. It wasn't something that she was a hundred percent on. No body seemed to be willing to tell her about it. The times she had asked her Aunt, often resulted in the her evading the answer. Her Aunt Andromeda would just reply that she wasn't sure. That Professor Dumbledore would be able to tell her one day. But when ever the opportunity presented itself, that would allow her to speak with the Wizard. The question would often be the furthest thing from her mind or embarrassment would hold her tongue. And now she was worried about what would happen if it was true. She had already come to terms with her mother's absence in her life. She had done terrible things to good and respected people. But her father... for him to be one of the biggest mass murders...

No. She didn't want to think about that. No. It was Quirrell and _only_ Quirrell who had sought the Philosopher's stone that was hidden deep inside the castle. That was the only acceptable explanation in her mind... at least it was the only one that was willing to accept at the moment. And while she was able to place that it was Quirrell in the forest that night... she had trouble explaining the monster's snake like moments or the words it spoke in what she was sure was parselmouth.

The more she dwelt on the details of what she already knew, the more uncertain she felt. And without really thinking about it she stepped forward, moving out from the protection the door frame provided. A few beds in, along the far side of the chamber was the Hospital Wing's sole patient, Harry Potter. And sitting on the corner of the boy's bed was the headmaster. She stepped forward quietly, only once she had made As she stepped the conversation between the two stopped immediately.

"Ah," The Professor exclaimed in a soft voice. "It seems you have a visitor, although I must confess I would not have expected a representative from Slytherin."

"Oh, ah..." Agena stammer slightly. She felt a heat rise in her cheeks. But despite her embarrassment she slowly approached the two.

"um,... I was hoping that I might find... Hermione here." It was a lie. Honestly she came hoping to find some filament of the truth of what had happened. But now... She wasn't so sure if she wanted to hear what that truth might have been. But as her gaze drifted over the green eyed boy, she felt compelled so say something.

"Well, um... Its good to see that you are awake now." she said awkwardly.

"Indeed it is." Professor Dumbledore agreed, he then turned to the boy and said."You may not know this Harry but on the night that you and your friends acted so valiantly to prevent the stone's theft. It was Agena who had actually pieced together that it was it was Querrill that who had attacked the two of you in the forest.

"But Professor? You..."

"You _see_," The Headmaster interrupted. "The spell that she had used to drive your would-be assailant back had left burns on his arms. And on the day you had finished your end of term exams, she saw your former professor watching that door on the third floor. She also noticed that his arms had been bandaged up. It was a little while before she had put the two together but fortunately she was able to notify her Head of House and then he in turn, was able to send a message to me. Had she had not, I may have genuinely been too late to intervene."

"Uh, t-Thanks... I guess." Harry said after a long pause.

"Um, No problem... He... that is Quirrell sort of gave me a creeps anyway." she returned as she shuffled from foot to foot. Her eyes drifted over the visible mark on his forehead. _He was the one that had defeated him._ Wishing to find something that would distract her from her uncertain thoughts she then turned to the table that was near the bed. It was stacked high with a number of multicolored boxes of candies and other various confections. In a rather blunt manner she suddenly felt the urge to comment about it. "um, Somebody appears to be popular."

"uh eah, I've been told I have admirers."

"I'd imagine so." Agena nodded. "Not only did you save the Philosopher's stone, but it seems that you also saved next year's students from a dreadfully dull class."

She watched the boy look away from her as a small smile turned up the corners of his mouth. But he seemed to quickly regain his composer and the expression faded with a small shake of his head. Agena turned to where the Headmaster silently sat. He was watching the two them a smile that had a certain bewildering quality to it. And that twinkle in his eye had a mischievous hint to it.

"Hmm, Well judging from the rather stern glare that Madame Pomfrey is sending in our direction, it seems that our presence may no longer be tolerated." The Professor said nodding towards the entryway of the Hospital Wing.

Agena turn to find that the Headmaster was very correct in his assessment. Madame Pomfrey was standing in the doorway of her office, which wasn't far from where Agena had made her entrance. The Healer's arms were crossed and the expression on her face was one of high annoyance. However Agena felt as though her glare was directed more on her rather than the Professor.

In fact Agena was given the distinct impression that Madame Pomfrey must have been distracted when she had walked in, otherwise she would not have allowed her to even set foot in the Hospital. The woman was nice enough, but took her job very seriously. And when visiting hours were over that meant they were _over_. Which was probably one of the perks of being the headmaster, you got to go where you want, whenever you wanted.

"Well Harry, I do recommend that you start to make some headway into that impressive stack of gifts. After all you may find it a little troublesome to have to pack all of it for the return home." Professor Dumbledore said while standing up. He then turned to her with a small smile on his face and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Now, come along Agena I believe that we also have a few things to discuss as well."

A queasy feeling erupted in Agena's stomach, accompanied by a sudden sense of dread. Speaking with Professor Dumbledore was something that she had been wanting to do, but... But right now... The curiosity that had initially brought her up here, had faded the moment she had heard Voldemort's name. The _truth _of what had happened that night... Agena tried to step away and place some distance between herself and the headmaster.

But her feet seemed reluctant to obey her mental commands. She was kind of stuck where she stood. At least until she felt the old man's hand gently directed her towards the hospital exit. Before long she found herself out in the hallway and moving in the direction of the stairwell that she had taken when she arrived. And while the first few steps had been in silence it wasn't much longer before the old man spoke to her.

"I do believe I own you my thanks."

"Professor?"

"Had you not notified Professor Snape when you did, it would be quiet possible that Harry would have died. Likewise you also stayed to defend him in the woods the night of your detention."

"y-You don't have to thank me Professor," he said, her face glowing red under the praise. "I mean... I sure he would have done the same as well."

"Yes, yes." The Professor nodded. "He most likely would have."

"um, Professor... What happened to him? That night in the forest... he kind of fell over clutching his head, like he was in pain or something."

"That is an interesting question, but it is not one I can readily discuss the answer to. But since you are asking I guess that means that you didn't hear my explanation to Harry when you were eavesdropping by the doorway." Professor Dumbledore said in a matter of fact tone that caused Agena to look up at him in shock. He wore a polite smile that gave no indication that he was angry with her. At first she thought of asking how he knew. But she already knew the answer to that. Dumbledore had both the benefit of wisdom and power. So it would probably be more of a surprise if he hadn't noticed that she was standing there.

"um, I'm Sorry Professor." she apologized, it seemed like a smarter thing to do rather than deny that she had. "I didn't mean to... I just heard your voice as I was walking up."

"Ah, You do have some remarkable ears. I doubt many of your classmates would have been able to hear us from that distance." the Headmaster said, and after a brief pause he added. "Most likely that is a happy consequence of that wonderful linguistic talent of yours."

Agena squirmed slightly at the subtle reference to her being a parselmouth. But it was true. Snakes didn't speak in the same manner that humans. So it was only natural for those that had the ability to talk to serpents would also have that ability to hear what they were saying as well.

But that lead her to another issue. She couldn't run from it.

"um, Sir... I couldn't really hear what the two of you were saying... but I did heard you mention... um... Voldemort."

The Professor paused in his steps and he turned to her. The cheery and carefree expression on his face seemed to melt away into something that was cautious. His stare was such that it made her wish she had held it back.

"um, I- I'm just asking cause... I... I heard the two of you talking about Quirrell and then I heard you mention... Voldemort," she said quickly, feeling the need to clarify her first inquiry. For all of the good that would do.

"I seems that you heard quite a bit after all."

"um, sorry Professor."

"No, no. You don't have to be." The old Wizard said with a shake of the head, as his features softened. "Curiosity is not sin, however as I explained to the young Mister Potter, the truth can be both a wonderful and terrible thing. Even if you are ready to hear it. But that is the very nature of the truth. You must except it all, not just the portions that you wish to hear. Do you understand?"

Agena pursed her lips as her gaze drifted away from the man before she nodded in agreement.

"And do you know what the truth is Agena?" he asked, only continuing once she nodded again. "Of all the questions that are troubling you right now, there are few that you don't already have the answers to. You have good instincts Agena, you shouldn't discount them because your afraid of where they might lead you.

"Your impressions of your former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher were correct. When most saw an inept educator, you saw that something wasn't quite right. And it was true, he had spent his tenure at this school hiding his true intentions behind a cleaver deception. Querrill wasn't the nervous man he presented himself as, rather he was an intelligent and very dangerous man. In addition to his attempt at stealing the stone here at the school, I also believe that he was the one involved in the break-in that had occurred at Gringotts near the beginning of the school year."

"Gringotts?" Agena asked, with a frown. She could vaguely remember reading something about an attempted robbery, but they didn't take anything because the vault that broken into was empty or something like that.

"Yes, before the stone was brought to Hogwarts, it was placed in in the care of Gringotts. However out of fear for it's safety I had it moved to the school so I could keep a better eye on it.

"However I must say that despite how capable he truly was, he did not have all of the skills necessary to make it through the defenses that lay beneath the castle, let alone escape from capture from Gringotts. Not alone at least."

"He had help?" she asked softly. A cold sort of feeling filled her stomach. She stared straight into the man's blue eyes. They didn't have that twinkle they normally did. No his eye held a certain sadness. As he said, she already had the answers she needed. "Professor?... t-That thing in the woods... was it... Is... Is Voldemort... still alive?"

The headmaster stared at her for a long time, before he answered her.

"That is a difficult question, and as you know difficult questions can have difficult answers. Ten years ago, Voldemort attacked the Potter family while they were in hiding. And after using the killing curse to murder Harry's parents, he then turned his wand on an infant with the same intent. But instead of killing the crying infant that lay in it's crib, the spell rebounded with tremendous force. So much force, that everything in it's path was destroyed."

"So... he is gone." she said in a whisper.

"Being dead and being gone, can be two very different things." The Professor responded.

"What do you mean?"

"You first asked me if he was still alive. And to that I would have to say no. At least not in the same way that both you and I are alive. Now as for the next question, is Voldemort gone for good? I'm afraid not. I saw him with my own eyes Agena. He remains a part of this world, although I wouldn't say that his existence is one of any substantial form. In truth the only thing that could describe what I saw, was a vaporous shadow.

"But... how is that even possible?" Agena asked him, confusion evident in her voice. Her knees wobbled from the weight that seemed to be bearing down in her stomach.

"Well a bit more explanation would be needed, so you'd have to bear with me for a moment. Few would know this, but a long time ago Voldemort had applied to teach at this school. In fact he applied twice, both times it was to fill an opening in the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. The first time was right after he had graduated. However the Headmaster at the time, ArmandoDippet, felt that he lacked the experience necessary to be a teacher. Dippet encouraged him to go out and see the world for a few years before he came back and applied.

"And he did just that. I was then the Headmaster of Hogwarts. I turned him down, not because he wasn't qualified for the task. He even challenged me to find another that had gone as far as he had gone, and had seen what he had seen. And indeed he had gone far. He had taken to experimenting on himself, using magic and various arcane potions to change his body and to enhance his powers to his suiting. He even had gone as far as to tamper with the very boundaries of his soul. I can only conclude that his means of preserving himself, was an accidental byproduct of one of his experiments."

"He... he's just a vapor..." she repeated. He voice was soft. And as once she felt slight dizzy. "If he had no substance like you said... What about that thing in the woods? It was solid! But it moved... It moved like a serpent and it spoke. It spoke to me... in Parselmouth."

"At his height, Voldemort had powers that few would dare to dream of. And with what was perhaps on of his most potent weapons was his ability to completely dominate the minds and bodies of his victims. It was something darker than just the Imperius Curse. He had the power to possess people. It was more than just being able to control someone like a puppet. No this ability allowed him to actually enter another person in the same manner you might slip on a pair of robes. And I do believe that even in his diminished state Voldemort still retained that ability. With it he was able to travel with Quirrell during the break in at Gringotts, just as he was with him when they tired to steal the stone three days ago.

"Then Quirrell was possessed all year..."

"Not entirely. Voldemort may have been with him, but he did not have the strength to completely take full control of Quirrell. This may explain the need for the they had to slay the unicorns. Their blood helped to rebuild Voldemort's power, at least until he could get a hold of the stone. If they had succeed it would have been only a matter of time before Voldemort would have been able to restore his body completely."

Agena was no longer listening to him, as suddenly her memory was thrown back to that last day before Christmas break. Those last images... Her desire to see her parents as they currently were... The matted lump of hair and dirty gray robes that was her mother and then the other image... a paranoid looking Quirrell brandishing his wand in a quick sweep behind him. It made sense now... he was with him. Her legs slowly folded beneath her. She used her hand to brush at her eyes, and to swipe away the tears that were threatening to crawl down her cheeks.

"How long have you known?" The Professor asked her quietly. It was the question that had been handing over the conversation.

"Since Christmas... After what you told me... and with what the Hat told me..."

"The Sorting Hat?" he asked with a touch of surprise. A small smile formed on his lips, like he had just been let in on good joke. "Ah, yes. I suppose it would. All heirs must return to their house?"

She nodded.

"I knew that it couldn't have been my mother... not all of the Blacks have been in Slytherin... Also she... I know she was a high ranking Death Eater... and Voldemort... his symbol was a snake and a skull... they said that he was a parselmouth as well... so it just made sense, I guess."

"As I have said before Agena, you have good instincts. And you are far more preceptive than I would expect for someone your age. But that comes as no real surprise considering you parents. And I do believe that I owe you an apology. I should have told you sooner. But I have been hesitant to reveal too much to you. I've felt it was something that should wait until you were a bit older. That the full truth would have been too great of a weight for one as young as yourself. But as their child you had every right to know. You should not have had to discover it on your own. And for that, I am truly sorry."

"But... what now... w-what does it mean for me?" Agena asked.

The professor placed his hand on her shoulder and knelt down. Bring the two of them eye to eye he drew her close and said.

"It means you live your own life, you make your own decisions and make your own friends. You don't have to do anything because of your parents. You don't have to be anything other than the person you already are."

Slowly Agena nodded as she moved to wipe away her tears once more. Professor Dumbledore smiled at her, a glint of pride shown in his blue eyes. He slow drew himself backup, making a pained grunt as his knee came off of the floor.

"One day I will tell you more about both of your parents, but not today. A deserted hallway on the night before the end of term feast is hardly the place for such a discussion, nor is this the time. Now if I recall correctly I do believe your house is engaging in a _tradition_ of sorts. I don't believe it is something a first year girl should miss."

Agena nodded once more, before she turned to make her first hesitant steps down the nearby stair well. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess. It was confirmed now. But in a way... she always knew that it was. From the moment the notion had entered her head, part of her knew with no uncertainty that it was true. And that wasn't because of how much sense it made, it was because that somewhere in her heart she knew it was true.

Professor Dumbledore didn't have to tell her to keep this quiet. If anyone else knew... How many would seek revenge for their loses? How many would see themselves justified for ending the life of the child of two murders. Or worse... how many would try to use her as a rallying flag for their ideals.

She stopped and turned to look back up the steps to where Dumbledore had stood. He was already gone. And where did that leave her? She wasn't about to become a victim of someone's wrath, nor was she willing to be used by the overly ambitious. That meant that she had to get stronger. She had to know more than others. But it wasn't just of the sake of self preservation. Since her father was in a questionable state of being... She was the last _living_ scion of Salazar Slytherin. She had no right to allow someone else to end her life for petty reasons.

As she continued her way back to her to the Slytherin Common Room. When she came to a junction where several hallways came together, she was met with a rather curious sight. It was Terrence Higgs, the Seeker from the Slytherin Quidditch team. He had his broom hanging off of one shoulder and he was soaking wet. And this was not the good kind of soaking wet. This was more like, he had just been dropped into a pit of foul brackish muck sort of wet.

He briefly regarded her with a look of that was somewhere between disgust and embarrassment. He quickly turned away and started in the direction of the Slytherin dorms. She watched him for a moment, before turning to look down the hall from the direction he had come. There was a trail of water and wet footsteps leading down one of the lesser used hallways. And now that she thought about ti the only thing that was down that way was... the stairway that lead to the lower level. That was odd...

She had been that way once by accident. She had a large hallway and a few archways that lead off into the darkness. She might have been willing to explore the area. But that hallway was half flooded with a murky water that smelt very similar to sewage.

She had asked Annette about it once and she told her that it had always been that way. It was one of those curiosities of the school that no one really knew the answers to. One legend claimed that it was a potions of the school that was built by Salazar Slytherin when he had his disagreement with Godric Gryffindor. None of the other founders bothered to finished the the lower dungeon and over time water from the lake began to seep inside the walls and then subsequent builders of the school eventually integrated the lower level into the school's sewer system. There were other legends that said that the flooded dungeon stretched on for miles beneath the castle and that were even another level below that was completely flooded.

Not that any such legends mattered all that much. None of that answered why the Slytherin Seeker just took a dip in the sewer. Well whatever the reason it had to be good. And Agena was eager for distractions at the moment. So she quickly followed after Higgs and managed to slip into the Common room before the wall could close up him.

There was a chorus of applause and laughter as the seventh year student walked into the common room. Higgs walked out into the middle of the common room, through a furrow that was created by their cheering house mates. Agena noticed that his feet seemed to be tracing over an already wet and muddy line that crossed the chamber's floor. Higgs raise his arms in a gesture of victory or what might have been mock victory. But soon he was laughing with the rest of the crowd.

Agena slipped through the line of her house mates and made her way along the back of the crowd. She went in search of a familiar face to explain the chaos that gripped the Slytherin common. What was it that Dumbledore had said... _a tradition of sorts_. Hollis had mentioned something about a _Run_, but she had no idea what that might have been referring to.

It took her a moment to spot someone she knew... Or a least someone that she knew well enough that she would be willing to talk with and would be willing to talk back. She pushed her way in between some the older students, so she could reach the tall blond girl that she shared an antagonistic friendship with.

"Hey, Annette." Agena called out, as she gave a handful of the girl's robes a tug.

"Wha- oh, Agena... Please tell me you didn't break something again." The prefect looked at her with a frown.

"No! I just want to know whats going on around here." Agena answered with her frown.

"What do you mean you want to know whats going on? Where have you been for the last twenty minutes?"

"I was outside talking to... one of the professors." Agena replied quickly.

"Oh, Well... It's a contest we hold every year... were... well come up here...," Annette then took her by the arm and brought to a near by chair, and with a little grunt the Prefect hoisted her up onto the chair's armrests. From the height Agena had a much better view of the room, and she noticed that most of Slytherin's girls stood on one side of the room, while most of the boys were station at the other.

"It works like this... " Annette continued. "Any boy from fifth year and up can participate. They only get one shot at it but all they got to do is make it up those few steps and get across that hallway and into the girl's dormitories."

"What kind of completion is that!?"

"The trick is they actually have to make it across the hall and to the far wall. You seen none of the founders held much faith in their male students, so they put traps in place to keep the males under a certain age from walking into the girl's dorms. So I guess you can say that the boys they aren't really competing against each other, they are competing against a security system that was set up by Salazar Slytherin himself."

"What exactly happens when one of them tries to cross over?"

"Just wait and see." Annette smiled gleefully. She gestured out to a clearing in the middle of common room, where the next contender stood as he prepared himself. It was Marcus Flint, he was holding his broom out in front of him with one hand and with the other he he was pointing his wand at the brooms tail end. Suddenly that end of his broom started to spark and billow with a thick stream of red smoke.

"Aww, That ain't gonna a work!" A boy shouted from the other side of the room. The statement seem to generate a bit of laughter from that side of the room.

"It's better that trying to run across like you did!" Marcus shot back, causing more laughter to rise up from a cluster of some of the older boys, all of which had that same drenched looked that Higgs had.

"Yeah, And if ya don't get a move on, yer gonna burn out yer broom. Then ya'll be walkin too!" the dissenter shouted back, generating another bout of chuckles from his contemporaries.

"Bah!" Flint cried back and with a sweep of his leg, he mounted his broom. He kicked off the ground and blasted forward.

It all happened very fast after that. The bristles of Flint's broom burst with a stream of sparks and smoke that rocketed the Quidditch player forward. He was moving fast. Faster than what she was sure a broom of that model could manage from a dead start. But even through the line of heavy red smoke that trailed after him she could see it happen. The titled floor of the hall vanished and then the globular lanterns that hung on the ceiling suddenly brightened with a flash of an intense white light light and there was also the loud wail of a siren. Flint's trajectory suddenly took a violent curve downwards. Agena saw him as he tried to pull up but then it was already too late. A second later there was the loud echo of a splash and lights in the hall way dimmed back to their normal levels. By the time the siren faded off the tiled floor had rematerialized. The girl's side of the common room burst into a cheers, while the boy's side rose with the sounds of groans and laughter.

"Does anyone ever get across?" Agena asked the blond prefect.

"Some have," Annette called back to her. "But nobody has made it since I've been here."

"But if one can get across, why don't they all?"

"What would be the fun of that? The ones who make it all the way across not only get bragging rights, but they get to put their name up on the wall just inside our dormitory." Annette explained, she pointed towards the far end of the hall. "Haven't you ever noticed the names etched into the stone there?"

"Not really." Agena answered honesty. She may have seen them, but she never really bothered to pay attention to it.

"Beside if anyone could do it, then it wouldn't be all that great of a contest."

It was about another five minutes before Flint had trudged himself back into the common room, cover in the same muck that she had seen Higgs covered in. He still had his broom but Agena was pretty sure that it would never fly again, as is was now just a stick with a burnt end. But he received his cheers and then stepped aside to allow the next contender to give his try.

This was the cycle for much of the evening. A few other more boys tired their luck with brooms, hoping speed would overcome the reaction of the security system. But time after time each of those contenders,despite their best efforts, were sent careening into the drink.

Others tried far different method, there was a sixth year that did some sort of spell that actually allowed him to crawl on the walls like a spider would. Although the magic was impressive, it didn't get him any further. Just like it had when Flint had tried to cross the floor vanished, and the lights that ran along the halls ceiling flashed, and hit him with a downward force that pried him off of the wall.

Later another sixth year named Heckler, actually pulled out his wand and began to fired off a series of stunning spells at globular lanterns that hung from the ceiling of the hall. With each successive strike the watery lights within the glass spheres flickered out one by one. The boy then stepped cautiously into the hall and much to the surprise of those gathered in the common room, the floor did not disappear.

The boy then turned backed towards the gathered crowd and raised his victory. A volley of cheers and clapping began on the male side of the room as, made a brisk jog towards the end of the hall and what was certainly success. But right as he made it half-way across, the sirens blared and the overhead lights came back alive. Heckler tripped and landed right on his face, as the downward force from the lights effectively slammed him to the ground. But oddly the floor didn't disappear from under him.

From her vantage point Agena watched as the boy began to stir again, and try to pick himself up. But before he could get very far the lights above him flared again, knocking him back to the floor forcing him to release a loud groan. And then as if to add addition insult or... perhaps punishment, the lights flashed overhead several more times in quick succession and then the floor vanished.

It was almost fifteen minutes later before Heckler made it back the common room and even then it was only with the help of a couple of his friends. But no soon had he made his appearance he was heading back out for the hospital wing to take care of what appeared to be both a broken nose and split lip, as well as any other bruising that may have occurred.

And with the hallway proving that it would enact a more severe punishment on anyone who would try to tamper with it's mechanisms, several of other boys who were planning to give the Run a go, decided to backed off. In fact the only one left that still looked willing to try was Hollis.

"Oi, What you gonna do, try some of those backwater tricks of yours?" a boy shouted as Hollis positioned himself in front of that Hall.

"Hey don' discount me yet, us country bumpkins know ar' share of magic." the Prefect shot back defensively. And then he raised his wand out in front of him and began to utter the words of a spell. A faint white light began to trickle out of his wand. Agena had never seen a spell like that before, and although it had a familiar ring to it she couldn't readily place what language it was.

"What kind of spell is that?" Agena audibly asked, trying to understand what Hollis was doing, as he began to take these very slow steps into the hallway.

"Well it's just like Montague over there said, backwater tricks." Annette answered. But seeing a slightly confused look appear on Agena face she went to elaborate a little further. "You see Hollis comes from a wizard clan thats lives up in this ass-backwards part of the Cairngorms, where everyone talks like their rolling a lump of peat in their mouths."

"The Cairngorms? You serious?" Agena asked in disbelief. She read an article about some of the magical wildlife that existed in that region of the Eastern Highlands. It had been during a brief stay in the waiting room at St. Mungo's. Nymphadora had outdone her usual clumsiness, by tripping into a cabinet that was full of potions her Aunt had brewed. It took the healers the better part of the afternoon to reverse the damage that all of those potions had done to her. As a result she had more than enough time to go though all of the magazines that had. "That whole area is suppose to be infested with Wyverns."

The Cairngorms were home to the Black Wyvern, which was just one of the many creatures out there that could be described as a Pseudo-dragon. As a true dragon had four legs along with a pair of separate wings, as well as some sort fire-breathing capabilities. The wings of the Wyvern were integrated into it's forelimbs. And they had no fire-breathing abilities, however they did have poisonous stinger at the end of their tails. Another important distinction was that they were more like amphibians rather than reptiles. They laid their eggs in the stagnant peat bogs of the mountain valleys. Their young feed off of unfertilized eggs, each other or on whatever unfortunate animal that might happen to become trapped in the same pool as them, at least until they have grown enough to leave and fly on their own.

"Yeah, he's talked about them before. He claims that his family has been watching over the flocks since the time of the Romans. I don't know how true that is, but he does know some magic that I've never seen before. Not to mention, you've seen how his wand looks, that thing has to be homemade. I doubt that Ollivanders' would ever sell one like it."

"It does look like he snapped it off of some random tree." Agena agree with a nod.

"And you've heard the way he talks sometimes. He has gotten a lot better since his first year, but back then none could understand a damn thing he said. He used to get made fun a lot because of it too. When he talks to Professor McGonagall he still calls her mum, instead of ma'am, but I think he does that just to irritate her."

"Annette look." Agena whispered pointing a finger at the young man, who had become the center of their conversation.

He still had his wand out in front of him, and he was still muttering the same incantation that had prompted her and Annette's dialog. But his slow foot steps had finally taken him into that hallway. The overhead lamps had brighten only briefly before they returned to it's normal level of illumination. There was no alarm, nor was he knocked to the ground like the others had been. There was a slight shimmer in the floor, but otherwise it stayed right where it was. That spell he was using, whatever it was, seemed to be masking his presence. However the spell itself must have also been taking a good deal of his concentration as he was only moving down the hall with tiny half steps.

A sort of murmur rose in the gathered crowd. Even though he was moving slowly, he was still getting across.

"Looks like that boyfriend of yours is going to make it." a girl next to Annette sneered. Agena looked to see that the statement had come from a brown haired girl that was standing next to the Prefect.

"Tania, I know that you like to keep repeating yourself but he is not my boyfriend." Annette claimed in a tired tone. "He just happens to want what he can not have."

Agena raised an eyebrow, while the other girl, Tania Ballow, scoffed at Anette's claim. If anything Tania was to Annette what Pansy Parkinson was to her. An acquaintance you keep solely for the purpose being able to compete with and annoy, whenever possible.

"Yeah I'm sure its just him that wants something." Tania said with a teasing grin, but the smile faded when Annette didn't take the bate. "Anyway, it looks like your _not-boyfriend _is going to get across."

"Not if I have any say in the matter." Annette said, as she brought a hand up to her chin. Her eyes narrowed as a rather calculating look crossed her features.

"You know the rules, we are not allowed to interfere with the contenders."

"No. Girls are not allowed to use magic against the contenders." Annette clarified. "And with the spell he was using, the only thing we would have to do is distract him enough to break his concentration."

"What like get all the girls to start yelling at him?"

"No that wouldn't work, it would have to be something more... " Annette's voiced faded off. The corners of her mouth crept upwards and a faint blush crossed her cheeks. "... something he wants but can not have."

Agena raised an eyebrow, as Annette let out a giggle that was somewhere between girlish and devious. And she watched with both a growing curiosity and a growing confusion as her hands disappeared into her robes. Her hips wiggled from side to side, she then hunched over slightly, and then crouched a little.

"What are you doing?" Tania asked her while backing away from the blond.

"Yeah, just what are you doing?" Agena parroted, even with her robes on she could make that her arms were moving along her body in such a way that it looked like Annette was... "Oh! Please tell me your not doing what I think your doing.

"Your probably a little too young to fully appreciate this, but there are few things that a guy will find more distracting, than a pretty girl." Annette told her as she raised up one of her leg and after she set it back down she did the same with the other. Agena's suspicions were confirmed when she saw the pink piece of cloth she was holding as her hand as it reemerged form her robes.

"And just what do you think your going to do with that!" Tania gaped in hushed voice.

"Well I intent to send this flying right over his shoulder, and if it get the magic just right it will fall on the and unfold right in front of him." Annette explained, but seeing the disbelieving look on her friend's face she added. "It's to distract him."

"Distract!?... With your underwear?" The brunette hissed.

"Although I'm sure it would have the same effect, I'm certainly _not_ going to show them to him while I'm wearing them." Annette said like it was something that was perfectly natural for her to say.

"Are you mad!? Your parents will kill you when they find out. Hell, You parents would probably kill you if they knew you wore knickers like that!"

Agena adverted her eyes. Tania did have a point, although it was nothing she hadn't already seen in Nymphadora's underwear draw. Sure some of them were cute, but she didn't see the point of walking around with a thin strip of cloth riding up the crack of your ass. Nymphadora explain to her that she would understand the need and desire to once she got older. But Agena had her doubts.

"Well Yes. My father would be furious, but then again this sort of thing as makes him a bit uncomfortable. My mother on the other hand would probably give me a lecture that someone of my status shouldn't be wasting their time with cotton, when silk is so much better."

Agena coughed. She had no idea how Annette could say something like that with such a straight face. The other girl's face was a deep red, but Agena was pretty sure that was from anger rather than embarrassment.

"And what would they say about you throwing your underwear at a boy?" Tania asked her between gritted teeth.

"Granted it is rather extreme, but it is a sacrifice that I'm willing to pay to insure that our that a boy doesn't sully our dormitory with his presence. Now if you'll excuse me, I have something undignified to do." Annette explained with a smile as she hooked her underwear on the tip of her wand. She then tuned to Agena and said. "And Agena, you should pay attention. This is were Arithmancy comes in handy."

Agena watched as Annette worked her way to the front of the crowd and then step up in front of the dorm entrance. And before any of the other boys could stop her or protest, Annette took aim with her wand. She seemed to a moment to gage the height and the distance. Hollis had inched his way pasted the halfway-mark. Meaning that he had already made it farther than anyone else including Flint and his rocket broom.

"Hey Hollis! Look alive!" Annette shouted and then with a small zip of light Annette sent the little pink garment shot through the air. It few right over Hollis's shoulder and is if on queue it slowed down and tumbled to the floor right in front of the boy. And then... and in a rather comical fashion... Hollis swayed slightly in mid step and then promptly fell as the floor vanished beneath him. The sounds of the slash was drowned out by the siren of the flashing hallway lights and by the cheer that rose from the girls that were gathered in the common room.

-

**Author's Note:** Did I just end a chapter there? Yes. Yes, I did. Why you ask, because If I didn't This chapter would have kept going. I was already up to ten thousand words. So it would be a pretty good idea to cut things off there and work the remaining bits into the next chapter. And there is just one chapter left of Year one.

Also I apologize for the delay in this chapter but I had a computer die on me and that left be unable to write for a while. Please send in those Reviews.


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